


eau de resistance

by doctorkilljoy



Category: Bandom, Fall Out Boy, Star Wars Sequel Trilogy
Genre: Alternate Universe - Star Wars Setting, Anal Fingering, Anal Sex, Angst, Artistic Liberties, Canon-Typical Violence, Crossover, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, M/M, The AU Like One Person Asked For, The Dark Side of the Force
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-09-28
Updated: 2018-09-28
Packaged: 2019-07-05 07:00:04
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 10
Words: 40,028
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15858576
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/doctorkilljoy/pseuds/doctorkilljoy
Summary: Pete Wentz has been a Knight of Ren since the order was first formed after the destruction of Luke Skywalker’s Jedi Academy. He is known to the galaxy as Kaos Ren, a powerful and dangerous Sith who is one of the First Order’s most trusted allies. However, there has been a change in him, one that Supreme Leader Snoke and even Kylo Ren have noticed. When an opportunity to escape presents itself, Pete runs for his life.On the run from the First Order, Pete encounters Patrick Stump, a member of the Resistance. This could be the end of his freedom before it even begins. Or it could be the start of something special, that will put Pete on the path to redemption.





	1. Chapter One

**Author's Note:**

> This was originally going to be part of Bandom Big Bang 2018, however I've been experiencing some issues lately that are making any kind of challenge impossible. Luckily, I had already finished writing this fic. As it has been completed, I figured it'd be kind of a waste if I didn't post it. But first, a few shout outs.
> 
> This was inspired by [Flames_and_Jade](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Flames_and_Jade/pseuds/Flames_and_Jade), whom I received in the Bandom Holiday Exchange last year. That's actually when I got the idea for this story, but it quickly became too long and complex for me to finish by the deadline. Hope you like it.
> 
> Beta read by the fabulous [SnitchesAndTalkers](https://archiveofourown.org/users/SnitchesAndTalkers/pseuds/SnitchesAndTalkers) who first suggested I break this story up into parts as it's kind of long. You're the best!
> 
> And a huge thanks to [Das_verlorene_Kind](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Das_verlorene_Kind) for being a sounding board and a good friend. 
> 
> Okay, so, onwards with the Star Wars AU. Please be aware this is obviously not going to stay true to the movies. There's a few elements from the EU in there (because I read that for years and will never let it go) but it's not consistent. 
> 
> Title is from _Stay Frosty Royal Milk Tea_ by Fall Out Boy.

He knew the minute that Snoke died.

Pete was on the lower levels, trying to keep himself calm. That girl, she’d come to Kylo Ren of her own free will. Pete wished that he could have stopped her, told her to stay in the pod and run. But Kylo got there before he did, with a contingent of stormtroopers. The look Kylo gave Pete as he led the girl away, Pete knew how screwed he was. As soon as they finished with her, they’d come for him.

It was inevitable. Pete was never as devoted to the Dark Side as the others. Toss an angry kid with Force abilities on an isolated planet with a bunch of other angry kids with Force abilities? Bad things are gonna happen. Pete didn’t blame Master Skywalker. After all these years, he knew the only person he had to blame was himself.

Snoke had sensed it, Pete’s gradual turn. It was why he’d kept Pete close for the past few months, since before Starkiller Base. He would perform his daily torments. Reminding Pete that his parents hadn’t loved him. Instead, they shipped him off to some backwater planet so they wouldn’t have to deal with him. He knew that song by heart. The Supreme Leader said he had potential, to be even stronger in the Force than Kylo Ren. If he would fully give in to the Dark Side.

At first, that was what Pete wanted. When Ren had taken him and several other initiates from Master Skywalker’s school, Pete had been eager to explore his new dark powers. He wanted revenge on those who’d dare to hurt him, and he got it. But then came the missions, and then the Dark Side wasn’t so much fun anymore. He’d killed, but he didn’t torture. It was in the nature of the Sith to torment their enemies, through actions and words.

Pete was a terrible Sith, he couldn’t stand seeing others in pain.

But that didn’t matter anymore. Snoke was dead, and Kylo Ren was too distracted with the girl to grab Pete’s leash. Then the ship had rollicked, throwing Pete off his feet. It felt like something enormous had slammed into the ship. It distracted the crew, which gave Pete the few precious minutes he needed to escape.

His first stop was the laundry, where he hoped to find something to change into. He was lucky, someone had left their civilian clothes behind. He found that a bit odd most didn’t bother bringing them aboard. And whoever it was, they were taller than Pete. But he could make it work. He jammed them into a sack and ran out of the room. 

Pete rushed into the hangar, seeing absolute chaos. It was falling apart, and several sections were on fire. He weaved through pilots, stormtroopers, and screaming officers. No one paid him any mind, but he still threw up a perception shield just in case. No one would be looking for him yet, but it never hurt to take precautions. Pete had to get out of there, and he didn’t want to have to kill anyone to do it. He would if he had to. 

He located a surveying shuttle, something they’d use for scouting missions. It had decent shields but not much firepower.  Pete didn’t need guns. All he needed was a working hyperdrive and something that wouldn’t blow up the minute he turned it on. And that was exactly what he had gotten. He sealed the doors and strapped himself into the pilot’s seat, powering up the controls.

For a moment, Pete hesitated. If he did this, the other Knights of Ren would come after him, perhaps even Kylo Ren himself. He’d be on the run for the rest of his life, and it would be a short one because he couldn’t dodge them forever. And he still had those thoughts, the ones that had led him to the Dark Side in the first place.

But then he remembered Snoke and everything he’d done to Pete. Trying to “put him through his paces” as Snoke had said to Ren. He remembered the pain and screaming. And what Snoke had made him do. It was enough, and Pete flew out of the hangar before anyone could stop him.  

He laughed as he went into hyperspace, his heartbeat pounding in his ears. He was free! Pete set a course for the Outer Rim. He wasn’t sure it was the best idea. The First Order had their roots in the Uncharted Territories, which were close to there. But he knew it was his best chance to hide if he had any chance at all. 

Once the course was set, Pete left the cockpit and headed to the refresher station. He stripped out of his clothes and would have incinerated them if it was possible. The last thing he removed was his helmet. For a moment he paused, staring at it. He’d made the helmet himself, opting for a ghoulish face with a wicked smile. Pete could taste disgust in the back of his throat and used the Force to crush the helmet.

He stared at himself in the mirror, the first time he’d seen his face in a long while. Pete’s hair was dark and stringy, and he was getting some scruff around his chin. His eyes though, Pete couldn’t look himself in the eye. They were the same brown they always were, but he was so ashamed. Pete knew he had turned traitor twice now. Once against Master Skywalker, and now against the Supreme Leader. 

It was tempting to break the mirror, but he stopped himself. It was childish and unnecessary. Something that Kylo would do. Instead, he got in the shower and tried his best to wash off the First Order. He stood under the spray of the hot water for a long time, even after he’d scrubbed so hard his skin turned red. He imagined he was flushing the traces of the Dark Side down the drain.

After he finished, he shut off the water and toweled himself dry. He dressed in the clothes he’d found, having to roll up the legs on the trousers. When he looked at himself again, he didn’t hate himself so much this time. He didn’t look like Kaos Ren anymore. But he didn’t look like Pete Wentz, either. 

He sighed and left the refresher. It was going to be a long flight, and he needed to get some sleep. Pete poured himself into one of the bunks, not bothering to take off his jacket or shoes. He kept his lightsaber close, though he wouldn’t need it right away. Pete closed his eyes but wasn’t surprised when sleep eluded him. So, he did something he hadn't done in years. A Jedi meditation technique Skywalker had taught him. 

He felt something teasing around the corners of his mind as he fell asleep. He wasn’t surprised when he dreamed. 

Pete was standing on a cliff overlooking the ocean, a world that he’d never seen before. It was cold, bit lonely, but beautiful. He felt more than heard someone stand next to him. He muttered, “Master Skywalker.” Pete turned and saw his old master standing next to him. He looked as he did when Pete had last seen him, and it made his heartache. He dropped to his knees and said, “I’m so sorry, Master. I failed you.” 

Skywalker looked down at Pete, and he looked sad. “No, I failed you.” He sat on the ground next to Pete, legs crossed. 

“Not possible,” Pete replied and took the same pose that Luke did. 

They were quiet for a few minutes, and then Luke asked, “Where will you go?”

“I don’t know. Kylo will try to find me. You know how he feels about traitors,” he said. Pete was shaking and trying not to cry. “You’re dead, aren’t you?” 

Luke nodded. “Yes, but not gone.” He reached out and squeezed Pete’s shoulder. “Peter, I am sorry. I knew you were troubled, and it made you vulnerable. But I was so concerned with Ben, I didn’t give you the attention you needed. It left you open to the Dark Side.”

“I made a choice,” Pete said to him. “I could have resisted. I could have… I could have stood up to him.” 

“And died with the others,” he muttered. 

Pete sniffed, feeling his eyes sting. “So? Joke’s on you, I wanted to die.” Skywalker gasped, but Pete laughed, and it was bitter. He kept talking. “But I was a coward, I turned to the Dark Side instead. That’s even worse.” 

“Pete, look at me.” 

He turned his head, a tear sliding down his cheek. Luke grasped his shoulder. “You made a bad decision. But you’re making the right one now by leaving the First Order. It won’t do you any good to dwell on the past.”

“How do I go on? Knowing what I did for them?” Pete asked. 

Luke gave him a sad smile. “Deal with it, move on. And keep doing the right thing. It’s much harder than you think.” He stood, and held a hand out to Pete, helping him to stand. He then pulled Pete into a hug and said, “I have faith in you.”

The dream ended, and Pete sank further into sleep.

The hyperdrive alarm woke him up. Pete bolted out of the bunk and headed for the cockpit. The shuttle was dropping out of hyperspace, and he threw himself into the pilot’s seat. He found himself looking at a world he didn’t recognize. A large gas giant, which reminded him of Yavin. And like Yavin, it had several moons floating around it. He hit the scanners, checking to see if there was life on any of them. 

Pete was glad to find that they weren’t. And even better, one of them appeared to have some sort of abandoned settlement. He put the ship in manual and descended. For a moment, it looked like everything had worked out fine, and that he was on track to getting his life back. But then, as he passed through a cloud, a warning klaxon sounded. 

The instruments seized, and he was getting alarms everywhere. It was when the electricity shorted out that Pete’s heart dropped into his stomach. The ship was falling like a stone, and while he was trying to reboot the power, it would take time. He was close to panic, but then a strange calm took over him. He knew what he had to do.

Opening himself to the Force was dangerous, as his freedom was new and he was so used to slipping into the Dark Side. But he remembered what Master Skywalker taught him, and the Force flowed through him. Pete held out a hand and concentrated. He wouldn’t be able to stop the ship from crashing, but he could slow its descent. It was hard, a ship was heavier than a rock or a book. He could almost feel it crushing his brain. Pete cried out, but then the ship shuddered once again. 

The impact was quick and almost painless. Pete fell out of the chair and against the wall, and he fell to the floor. He felt like his teeth had rattled around his head, and he was a little dizzy. Other than that, he wasn’t hurt. Slowly, he dragged himself to his feet. He went to the controls, and after pressing a few buttons gave it up as a lost cause. He wasn’t sure what was in that cloud he’d passed, but it had done a number on the ship.

Pete got up and wanted to go right back to bed. However, he had something he had to do first. He knew the First Order could track ships through lightspeed now. He didn’t want to give them a head start in finding him. He called his lightsaber to his hand, and once he had it, ignited the ruby blade. 

He rammed it through the homing beacon. He then slashed to the right to take out the communications console. He extinguished the blade and gave a satisfied sigh. “Track that,” Pete muttered and left the cockpit. 

It had been a childish move, and he would likely be stuck here, wherever he was. But that didn’t bother him. While he was sure the outpost didn’t have a ton of luxuries, it would have shelter, and that was a good start. Pete packed a bag and left the ship.

It was a long walk, but finally, Pete found himself at the outpost. It was a grim looking place, and all of a sudden, he wasn’t so sure about his plan. The doubt didn't stop him. He’d seen some rather worrisome storm clouds headed in his direction. So the smart thing to do would have been to find shelter beforehand. For all he knew, the rain could be toxic. Given what that last cloud had done to his shuttle, it wasn’t outside the realm of possibility.

He went up to the doors and made a face. It was more decrepit than he thought it would be. It looked like it hadn’t been occupied since the Battle of Yavin. The doors wouldn’t open, and he thought they might be stuck together. Pete waved his hand, pushing them apart with the Force. He walked inside and stopped in the entryway.

Lights were coming on, machines were coming to life. If the system was automatic, then it was nothing to worry about. It was pretty odd that an abandoned base would still have the auto systems on. He walked through, reaching out through the Force. He could sense someone was nearby. Pete turned around to leave, storms be damned. The path was being blocked by a small person holding a blaster.

He was young, younger than Pete. There were grease stains on his flight suit. His boots were scuffed, and his hat was so ratty Pete wasn’t sure what was still holding it together. He was very pale, with strawberry blonde hair and a round face. Safety goggles hid his eyes, which he removed and let hang around his neck.

Pete threw his hands up, saying, “Don’t shoot, I’m friendly!”

The young man’s eyes narrowed, and he asked, “Who are you?”

“I’m Pete Wentz, I—“ But he didn’t get to finish his sentence. The kid must have recognized the name, and Pete cursed himself for being an idiot. He fired, and Pete was on the ground before he knew it. As he slipped into unconsciousness, he was grateful that the boy had stunned him rather than killed him.

He woke up sometime later, though how much had passed he didn’t know. He could hear the rain pounding on the roof, and he groaned as he sat up. Taking in his surroundings, he could see that he was in a cell. The bars were thick and close together, so he wouldn’t be able to squeeze through. He couldn’t see any kind of a lock, but there had to be one. Pete was contemplating bending the bars with the Force until he heard a shrill whistling noise. He turned his head to see what it was.

A red and silver astromech droid had appeared from around the corner. Judging from its hoots and whistles, it knew exactly what Pete had been thinking.

“Okay okay! Stop yelling at me!” Pete said.

He heard footsteps and looked up to see the kid approaching. He had the blaster on his belt rather than in his hand, and he said to the droid, “Thanks Aythree.”

It made a cooing sound at the kid, then rolled off. He had his arms crossed over his chest, and was glaring at Pete. “Care to tell me why a Knight of Ren is traipsing about Lyursa?”

“I thought this place didn’t have a name,” Pete replied.

“I named it. Start talking,” he pulled his blaster and Pete rolled his eyes.

“I’m not gonna be able to answer questions if you stun me again.”

“Maybe it’s not set on stun.”

For a minute, Pete thought he was serious. He could stop the blaster bolt if he wanted to, he’d seen Kylo do it often enough. But in the way the kid’s jaw was quivering, Pete knew the truth. “It is. You’re not a killer.”

“Fuck you!” He yelled and Pete put his hands up again.

“It was a compliment!” Pete said.

“Oh yeah sure, the First Order loves non-violent folks. Makes it easier for you to pick them off!” He hissed.

The kid was in pain, Pete could sense that much. He wanted to help but knew better than to try. He was too ramped up, he’d never accept. So instead, Pete said, “Look, I didn’t know you were here, okay? I was looking for somewhere to hide out.”

“Oh sure, no idea this is a Resistance base. I wouldn’t buy that for all the credits on Coruscant!”

“I didn’t!” He yelled, which made the kid jump back. Thankfully, he didn’t shoot. “Shit, sorry, I’m sorry. I didn’t know. I was trying to get away from the First Order and this was the most backwater quadrant I could think of.”

That got his attention. “Trying to what now?”

“I was defecting,” Pete said. “Snoke is dead and Kylo Ren is in charge. I wanted to get the fuck out of there before the new master took over the kennel if you get my meaning.”

“You’re a Knight of Ren, shouldn’t you be pleased your buddy is the boss now?” His tone was incredulous and Pete couldn’t say he blamed him.

“You’d think that, but no. Snoke was horrible, but Kylo Ren is a million times worse. And he’s not a big fan of mine right now,” said Pete.

“Why? You stab him in the back or something?”

“In a manner of speaking.” He got up and walked closer to the bars, his hands still up. “What’s your name, kid?”

“I’m Patrick, and don’t call me kid!” He snapped. “And don’t try to escape either!”

“You’ll notice my complete lack of doing so,” Pete said to him with a smile.

“If you’re biding your time, you can forget about it! I’ve got this place rigged so even with your stupid Force powers you’re not getting out of that cell unless I say so.” He seemed pretty confident about that, so Pete decided to press him.

“Oh? And what makes you think I can’t wave my hand and make you unlock this cage?”

He drew himself up to his full height (which wasn’t much, the kid was shorter than Pete) and said, “Try it.”

Pete could tell he was being tested, but the kid was annoying him so much he couldn’t help himself. He waved his hand and said, “You will unlock this cell.”

Patrick didn’t move, which didn't surprise Pete. “You can try again if you want,” he said with a smug tone.

“I take it that Jedi mind tricks don’t work on you, then,” Pete concluded.

“Damn right they don’t,” he said, a triumphant look on his face. Pete didn’t know if it was adorable or annoying.  “I found your ship while you were out.”

“Good for you,” Pete muttered, sarcasm laced in his tone.

“So here’s what I’m going to do,” Patrick said. “I’m going to fix your ship, then I’m taking you to the Resistance for trial.” 

Pete laughed, not even trying to be nice now. “I would love to see you try to get that hunk of junk off the ground. May the Force be with you, you’re gonna need it.”

Patrick huffed and stomped his foot, saying, “I’ll get it done! I can fix anything!” 

“Whatever.” Pete walked back over to his bunk, flopping onto it. “Wake me for the trial.” 

“You’re not gonna be so blase about this when General Organa gets through with you,” Patrick replied. He then called back, “A3H4!” 

The astromech droid came rolling back and trilled at Patrick. 

“Keep an eye on him, if he tries to escape, enact the neutralization protocols.” 

“The what now?” Pete asked. 

“Did you think I was going to leave you unattended without any sort of security? I’m not that stupid,” he snapped.

Pete laughed at that. “Most people would think it’s pretty stupid to try to lock up a Sith Lord.” 

He bristled at that but didn’t respond. He saluted the droid and left. The droid made a tweeting sound, then rolled back and forth in front of the door. Pete shrugged and rolled onto his side, closing his eyes. If the kid succeeded, he’d escape. But after what Pete did to the ship, he doubted it. There wasn’t much else for him to do but sleep. 


	2. Chapter Two

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here we are again! I almost didn't update because I'm not feeling well today, but here we are regardless. Hope you're having a good weekend, and please comment or kudos, I'd really appreciate it.

The first few days were the hardest. Patrick was cute, but he was kind of annoying. He was just so full of optimism and righteousness that it made Pete a little sick. The kid was definitely a true believer. A bright eyed and bushy tailed Resistance recruit. Which was why Pete thought it was a little odd that the kid was out here. Alone, instead of helping the Resistance fleet.

One morning, three days after Pete had arrived, Patrick was bringing him breakfast. It was ration bars and nerf milk again and in plentiful portions. The kid ate all his meals with Pete but didn’t say much. He claimed it was because he wanted to keep an eye on him instead of relying on Aythree all the time. Pete was beginning to wonder about that. 

Patrick passed Pete a large bottle of water. He said, “I’ll try to get back to give you lunch, but if I don’t make it then Aythree will bring you something.”

“Thanks,” Pete replied. He sipped the milk and asked, “Something’s bugging me though.” 

“If the accommodations aren’t up to your standards, then tough,” Patrick said. 

“No not that. General Organa should have sent out her distress signal by now. Why are you still here?” Pete asked. 

Patrick paled at that, then his cheeks turned bright red. “None of your business.” 

“And where are the others?” Pete asked. 

“What others?” 

Pete shrugged and took a bite of a ration bar. “It’s kind of a large base, why are you the only one here? I’m assuming this is a Resistance outpost. I know you guys are small but a station this size manned by only one person? That doesn’t seem right.” 

Patrick didn’t reply to that, but Pete could sense his anger. Underneath that though, he felt a loss, abandonment. He turned away from Pete, and loudly chewed on his ration bar. That made Pete raise an eyebrow. 

“Oh I get it,” he said. 

“No you don’t,” Patrick hissed. 

“I do,” Pete replied. He put his breakfast down and moved closer to the bars. “I’m so sorry.” 

“For what?” Patrick was shaking with rage.

“I’m sorry they left you here,” Pete replied. 

“Fuck you!” He yelled. He stormed out of the room, Aythree making distressed noises. The little droid moved its ocular unit towards Pete. If he didn’t know any better he’d think the droid was giving him a scathing look. 

“Sensitive subject,” he said, and the droid made a hooting sound in the affirmative. Pete went back to his breakfast. 

As promised, Patrick did come back for lunch. He brought Pete his food, but wouldn’t look at him or speak to him. He left as fast as he came, and Pete felt incredible guilt. He could feel the waves of grief coming off of Patrick, and they were almost too much to bear. 

He tried to imagine what kind of scenario would lead to this. A loyal, tough little fighter like Patrick abandoned here. Pete knew there were no ships on the moon. Because if there were, Patrick wouldn’t be so hell-bent on fixing Pete’s. He also knew that General Organa would have gotten the word out by now that the Resistance needed help. Pete concluded that in the confusion of flying to the General’s side, somehow, Patrick was left behind. 

When Patrick returned for dinner, the first thing Pete said was, “I’m sorry for being a jerk.” 

“You’re a Sith, you’re all jerks. And much worse than that,” Patrick replied, but there was no heat behind it.

“I’m trying not to be,” he said to him. 

“Yeah, well, you’re terrible at not being a jerk.” 

They ate quietly, but towards the end of the meal, Pete asked, “Why did they leave you here?” 

Patrick looked up at him, but he had replaced the rage from earlier with weariness. He pushed his tray away and said, “Because I wanted to help the General.” 

“What?” Pete couldn’t quite believe what he’d heard.

“I wanted to help General Organa,” Patrick said, looking up at Pete. He sat on the steps in front of the cell, and there wasn’t much distance between them. If Pete wanted to, he could have reached out and touched the kid’s shoulder. 

“And what did they want to do?” Pete asked. 

“Escape,” Patrick replied. He had his elbows on his knees and rested his chin in his hands. Lost in thought, he didn't meet Pete's eyes. 

Pete frowned at that. “Escape what exactly?” 

“The First Order. We got word over the HoloNet about Starkiller Base, and the Hosnian System,” Patrick told him. “Andy… He said that was it, the Resistance was over. He wanted us all to pack up and run somewhere the First Order wouldn’t find us. The others agreed.” 

“But not you.” 

He shook his head. “No. We still have hope. Luke Skywalker is out there somewhere, and there are others. And the Rebels fought against worse odds and won. Hayley and a few others said that Andy should lock me up in the brig while they ran.”

“They knew that you’d tell the Resistance what they’d done,” he concluded, and Patrick nodded. 

“Yeah. I mean, I wouldn’t have said to go after them, I get that they’re scared. But Andy said he wouldn’t leave me to die. I thought maybe he’d changed his mind. Instead, he stunned me and I woke up to all the ships gone. They destroyed the outbound comms, and no one left here but me and Aythree,” he gestured to the droid. 

“Surprised they even left the droid,” said Pete. 

“Aythree’s very loyal, they’re a good droid.” Patrick reached out and patted Aythree’s dome, and the droid gave a happy whistle. 

“So was this Andy guy the one in charge?” 

Patrick nodded. “Yeah. Hayley was his second in command. Once they made up their minds to run, everyone else followed suit.” 

“Except you.” 

“Yeah except me!” Patrick yelled, getting to his feet. He had worked himself back up to angry, which Pete was glad about. He didn’t like seeing Patrick glum, it didn’t suit him. “And I’ll show them! When the Resistance wins against the First Order, I hope they’ll realize they were fools and cowards to run away!” 

“They might not have been,” Pete told Patrick. He sighed and said, “Skywalker is dead.” 

Patrick blinked at that, and said, “You’re lying.” 

“You only have inbound communications right?” Pete asked.

“Yeah.” 

“So get on the HoloNet, I’m sure the news has spread by now. Master Skywalker has become one with the Force,” Pete told him. 

“You’re only saying this to fuck with me! He’s not dead!” Patrick yelled. He looked close to tears. 

Pete got to his feet, wishing that he could do something to ease Patrick’s pain. But he wasn’t about to lie to him, he’d find out the truth sooner or later. “I’m sorry, but he is, Patrick.”

Anger and anguish were tearing Patrick in two. There were tears in his eyes, and his hands balled up into fists. Pete wasn’t quite sure what he would do and regretted his actions. He didn’t want to be the bearer of bad news, but he didn’t want Patrick laboring for something that wasn’t possible. Master Skywalker wouldn’t be able to deliver them from the Dark Side this time. 

“I really am sorry,” Pete murmured. Patrick didn’t respond, he ran out of the room. Pete didn’t expect him to come back, which Patrick did to his surprise. He had a portable holoprojector with him, and a determined look on his face. 

“I’m gonna prove you’re full of it,” Patrick hissed. He set up the projector, and said to Aythree, “Okay, do a search for any news about Skywalker.” 

Aythree did, and immediately a hologram of a young woman with red hair came up. Pete recognized her as Ermengarde, who called herself the Voice of Reason. She was a spokesperson for the First Order, and Pete wasn’t sure but thought she was a relative of General Hux. She was wearing white, and smiling beatifically.

“The galaxy is in good hands now, as we can confirm that Luke Skywalker, Rebel and traitor, is dead. The old Jedi heretic faced Supreme Leader Kylo Ren in single combat on the small planet of Crait. Our Supreme Leader slew the heretic himself. Resistance forces had gathered at an old Rebellion base there. Some were able to flee, however, the main host of Resistance fighters are defeated."

She continued talking, mostly about the First Order and the good work they were doing. But Pete could see that Patrick wasn’t listening. He shook his head and said, “It’s not true. They made it up.” 

Pete didn’t respond but did turn his attention back to the hologram when he heard his name. Patrick looked up in surprise as well. Ermengarde had her hand out, and a hologram of Pete’s face was hovering over it. 

“The Knight of Ren, Kaos, has been missing since the Battle of Crait. The Supreme Leader has special instructions in regards to Kaos Ren. Please, locate him. Bring him to Coruscant immediately, unharmed. A reward is being offered for his safe return. Ten thousand Imperial credits, and of course the gratitude of the Supreme Leader.” 

Pete snorted at that. “Well, that’s a lie if I ever heard one.” 

“What is?” Patrick asked. 

“Kylo knows I abandoned ship. He’s trying to flush me out,” he said, sighing. “I’m surprised he’s not looking for me himself.” 

“This is a trick,” Patrick said, glaring at Pete. He turned off the projector and turned, glaring at him. 

“What are you talking about?” Pete asked. 

“It’s a setup! You’re trying to trick me into thinking that Skywalker is dead! You planted that broadcast to make me trust you!” 

Pete stared at him for a minute, and then asked, “Are you insane? How would I be able to plant a broadcast for exactly when you happened to be watching?!” 

“Your Sith powers!” Patrick countered, and it made Pete scoff.

“I can’t use them to plant a story, especially not from here! Are you in such heavy denial you’d believe something so stupid? You’re smarter than that, Patrick!” 

“You’re trying to confuse me!” He said, and Pete sighed. 

“Believe what you want,” he replied. He moved away from the bars and added, “I’m sorry that you ended up this way. But it’s not my fault, and I’m not trying to trick you, I promise.” He went and sat on the bed, crossing his legs and regarding Patrick with a cool gaze. Patrick was glaring back, and he left the room again. 

Pete hoped that he would get himself under control, and soon.

* * *

He could hear footsteps approaching his cell. Pete didn’t bother to get up, he remained on the floor with his legs crossed and eyes closed. Patrick had been avoiding him since the broadcast. He’d been sending Pete his meals through Aythree. The little droid seemed to be feeling put upon if their shrill hoots were any indication. Pete thought it was best to let Patrick cool off. 

After all, it wasn’t every day you found out your hero is dead. Or that your prisoner is wanted by the same people you’re fighting against. Pete had been a bit worried about Patrick, but he also knew the reason behind the isolation. Patrick needed time to calm down and process. Which was why when he sensed Patrick nearby, he let him make the first move. He did wish it wasn’t when he was meditating.

He heard a slight huff, then Patrick asked, “Am I interrupting?”

“Would it matter if you were?” Pete replied. There was the temptation to use the Force to block out Patrick’s voice. But he could feel a strange energy around Patrick. Pete slowly exhaled and opened his eyes. Patrick looked quite agitated, and Pete asked, “Can I help you?”

Patrick was soaking wet and shivering, and he said, “I have questions for you.”

“Okay.” Pete exhaled and stood.

“What happened to you that made you join the Knights of Ren?”

Pete turned away, then circled back to the bars. “Lots of things.”

“No, I mean…” Patrick blew out a breath, frustrated. “I know about the Jedi Academy. What happened when you were there?”

That did surprise, Pete. There weren’t many who knew about it and were still alive, aside from Kylo Ren and the Knights of Ren. Pete didn’t want to talk about it, it was something he’d have rather stayed dead and buried. He found himself telling the story all the same.

“I was originally sent to Luke Skywalker from Corellia. My parents were having a difficult time with me. It was hard for them, having a child that’s… The way I am, and also Force-sensitive. I think in truth they were at their wit’s end. My mother knew Han Solo, and he talked with his wife and her brother who both agreed that Jedi training was best for me.”

“What do you mean the way you are?” Patrick asked.

Pete shrugged. “I don’t think there’s a real word for it. It’s a chemical imbalance of the brain. Sometimes it can be corrected with medications. But it makes it so that at one time I’m manic and another I’m depressed.”

“I’ve heard of it,” he said. There was no judgment in his voice.

“If you’re familiar with it then you know that it’s no treat. Paired with Force abilities, and my daily life was a misery. What was worse, I was taking out my frustrations on my parents and siblings. At the time, I was angry with them for sending me away. I thought it meant they didn’t love me. Looking back, I know that’s not right. It was my pain talking.”

“When you say paired with your Force abilities, what does that mean?”

“You wouldn’t think it, but I’m an empathetic person. So imagine you’re me, and you’re already depressed. What would happen if I were around people who were angry or depressed all the time?”

“Probably be even more angry and depressed.”

“Exactly. Master Skywalker said he could teach me to shut that out. Or to use it for good,” Pete snorted.

“You didn’t believe him?”

“No, I did. But after a year under his tutelage, I wasn’t making any progress. I could control the Force, but I couldn’t control myself. I kept lashing out, and he did his best to understand, but in the end, he couldn’t,” Pete said, then sighed.

“So how did you end up with Kylo Ren?” Patrick asked. There was some skepticism on his face. 

Pete laughed at that. “We commiserated about our shitty families, and I said how mine didn’t want me. We talked a lot about it, and then he started giving me suggestions. Little hints to help me along. Then one night, after a long day of training, he made another suggestion. Master Skywalker had been on me about my anger, and he said to try using it instead of suppressing it. He said... He said having anger like mine was a gift.” 

“Whoa, shouldn’t that have been a huge red flag? Even I know anger leads to the Dark Side,” he said. 

“That’s what most people forget,” Pete said. “The Dark Side isn’t some weakness of character, it’s in all of us. And when a Jedi falls, it’s not always because they made a mistake or because they were weak. It’s a seduction. And right then that’s exactly what I wanted to hear.”

“So it’s not your fault you turned because you were seduced?” Patrick asked, tone incredulous.

“I didn’t say it wasn’t my fault,” Pete shot back but took a breath to calm himself. “I knew deep down it was wrong, but I was a kid and I was angry and hurt. Kylo Ren told me what I was feeling was okay. Not only was it okay, but it meant I was powerful like him. And it felt good.

“No one could beat Ben Solo. He could do things with the Force that made the rest of us look like idiot children. Master Skywalker spent most of his time with him, and I wanted just a little of that. I couldn’t get it from my father, I couldn’t get it from Master Skywalker, but Ben Solo? He was ready and willing. Then one night he told me about his secret mentor, and that I could meet him if I wanted to.” 

“You mean Snoke?” 

“Yeah. And he was the same way. He showed an interest, he didn’t tell me what I was doing was wrong.” He sighed and rubbed at his face. His vision was a bit blurry from exhaustion, but he wouldn’t sleep. If he did, he would dream, and Pete didn’t have the stomach for it. “They offer you something you want desperately. And they convince you that it’s all right to want it.”

“Okay, convince me then. Convince me to join the Dark Side,” challenged Patrick. He’d moved closer to the cell bars. Pete lamented how young he was.

“I can’t,” he said.

He rolled his eyes. “Because you’re full of shit.”

“No, because you’re young and idealistic. You’ve had a good and loving family, and you’ve never had to make a hard choice in your life,” Pete snapped.

“Fuck you!” Patrick yelled.

Pete wanted to bait him, see if he could get Patrick to make a mistake. But he stopped himself, that was not what he was trying to do. That wasn’t who he was as a person, he was choosing to not be that person. Pete mumbled, “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have said that.”

“Damn right you shouldn’t have, you don’t know the first thing about me.” Patrick was pacing in front of the bars.

“Yeah I do,” he said, and that made Patrick pause.

He shot Pete an annoyed look. “Oh yeah?”

“You’re loyal, you’re determined. And the reason you’re giving me so much shit right now is because you can’t reach General Organa,” Pete replied. Patrick didn’t reply to that, instead, he turned his back. Pete stood up and walked closer to the bars.

“You’re burning to do the right thing. You have been since the others ditched you. But it’s not going as fast as you wanted, and you’re stuck. You’re talking to me because it makes you feel like you’re doing something. Instead of sitting on your ass waiting for reinforcements who aren’t coming. And what’s really killing you? You know that Leia is in the same situation. And you can’t even tell her the reason you haven’t come to her aid is because you’re stuck too.”

Patrick’s shoulders were shaking, and for a minute he thought he might punch Pete. But then he heard a sniff, and a quiet, “You’re right.”

“Are you… Are you crying?” Pete asked, surprised.

“ **No**!” Patrick yelled, but he turned, and Pete saw the tears.

“Aw fuck. Patrick, I’m sorry,” he said.

“Bullshit you are, this is what Sith do,” he said, wiping furiously at his face.

“Yeah I know, it’s why I quit the Knights of Ren.” Pete stepped away from the bars. He wanted to get closer, offer Patrick a hug. But there was no way in hell he would risk making Patrick feel even more vulnerable. “I'm sorry.”

“Sorry enough to fix the comms unit on your ship?” Patrick asked, but Pete shook his head.

“I can’t fix that, I put my fucking lightsaber through it. I took out any systems they could use to track me. I don’t want to be found.”

Patrick seemed to deflate, and he sat down by the bars. He let his head fall back against them and said, “So there’s no hope.”

“There’s still hope,” Pete countered. “You get the ship up and running, you can take me to her as your prisoner. And I swear I’ll tell the General you were doing your best to be a good little soldier but shit happened. She might not believe me but I’ll still tell her.”

“Why would you do that? She might want to lock you up. Hell, she may want to execute you,” Patrick said incredulously.

Pete shrugged, wishing he felt as nonchalant as he pretended. “Gotta pay for my crimes, right?”

“I still don’t understand,” said Patrick.

“Which bit?”

“Why now? The Knights of Ren have been part of the First Order for years. What made you decide to turn away from them?”

“It won’t make you like me any better,” Pete muttered, and Patrick rolled his eyes.

“I couldn’t like you any less than I do now.”

“That’s fair.” Pete laid on the bed, stretching his arms above his head. He slowly exhaled and began talking.

“Kylo sent me and this other guy, called himself Keyad Ren, on a mission together. There was this guy, he lived on an isolated moon a lot like this one. He was older, in his forties, and he looked like he’d seen some shit in his time. The most we were told was he worked with the Resistance and needed to be stopped. Our mission was to neutralize him.”

“You mean kill him.”

“Yeah, I mean kill him. I didn’t know why the First Order wanted him gone, I never questioned orders. Keyad was fucking psyched about it, kept talking about all the things he was gonna do to him. I wanted to find him first to prove I was better than him. So when we landed, we split up to find him. Unfortunately, Keyad was the one who located him.” Pete felt his stomach churn, and he closed his eyes.

Patrick asked, with hesitance in his voice, “What… What did he do to him?”

“You don’t want to know,” said Pete. “He was pleading for death when I found them. He was… Laughing, delighted with his pain. I couldn’t stand to watch his suffering, so I gave him what he asked for.”

“And what did the other guy do?”

“Pitched a fit and try to kill me. But I’m a better fighter than he was so when I returned to the First Order it was with the target’s body and Keyad’s head.”

“I bet they loved that.”

“Kylo did, he never liked Keyad. He wanted Kylo's place as Snoke’s right hand. Snoke was pissed, and he said I needed to be retrained.”

“Retrained?”

Pete nodded. “So I’d go back to being a good little Sith. Or bad, whatever.”

“What did that entail?” 

He looked at Patrick, and he desperately wanted to tell him. Of every degradation, every moment of pain. Instead, he said, “Stuff you don’t want to hear about right now. It won’t make you feel any better.” 

“How do you know it won’t?” Patrick lifted his chin like he was challenging him. 

“Because you don’t like seeing people in pain either,” said Pete. 

Patrick stared at him, then said, “I want to believe you.” 

“But you’re hesitant to trust me. Believe me, I get it. If I were in your shoes I wouldn’t trust me either.” He rolled onto his side so he was facing away from Patrick. 

It was quiet for so long, Pete had assumed that Patrick had left. But then he said, “I was lying about those countermeasures.” 

“I know,” Pete mumbled. 

“But you haven’t tried to escape.” 

He scoffed. “Why would I want to?” 

Then something happened that Pete didn’t expect. He heard the cell door open. He turned around and sat up as Patrick came in. He was shaking, but there was a determined set to his jaw. He stood in front of Pete and said, “I believe you.” 

“You don’t have to let me go, or anything. I’m still your prisoner, and I’ll stay that way.” Pete stood up. 

“No, I already suspected you were telling the truth,” Patrick told him. “The First Order has no reason to send someone here, let alone one of the Knights of Ren. This place isn’t strategic, and I’m not anyone important.”

“Yes you are,” he replied. He held Patrick’s shoulders, saying, “You are important.” 

“Not to the First Order I’m not.”

Pete chuckled. “All right, not to the First Order. But you’re still important.” 

“Thanks for the validation.” Patrick smiled. “So what do we do now?” 

“We fix the ship and get you back to the Resistance.” 

Patrick nodded, then headed to the door. He held it open for Pete and said, “C’mon, let me show you around.” 

Pete smiled at that and followed Patrick out of the cell.


	3. Chapter Three

Patrick did show him around. The base was small and crude. The systems were running perfectly. Including the most important, which was an energy shield. Pete whistled when he saw it, and asked, “Why didn’t my ship pick up that energy signature when I was scanning the moon?” 

“I have a jammer attached,” Patrick replied, pointing at another panel. “That way it doesn’t show up on your standard scans. You’d have to have an in-depth scanner like on a Star Destroyer.” 

“That’s genius,” Pete said with earnest, and it made Patrick smile.

“I know. It was hard as hell to program but worth it. This is only the prototype. I want all Resistance bases to have shields and cloaking,” said Patrick. 

“That would be amazing,” said Pete. 

Patrick showed him his new quarters and told him there were some clothes he could change into. While there had been a refresher station in the brig, Pete hadn’t used it as much as he should have. He smelled ripe, so he showered and changed. He kept the jacket, as he’d grown fond of it. 

When he came out, Aythree was waiting in his room. Pete raised an eyebrow, and the little droid was screeching at Pete. He jumped, and said, “Hey, it’s okay! I’m not gonna hurt him!” 

A compartment on the droid opened, and it was holding a tiny laser blade. It made several motions at Pete and then put it away. The message was clear, hurt Patrick and I’ll cut you. 

“Okay, I get it,” Pete said. “I promise, I’m not gonna hurt him.” The droid whistled one more time and rolled out of the room. Patrick was not wrong, Aythree really was a loyal droid. It made Pete smile to think of. 

Pete went to look for him and found Patrick in what had once been the command center. Some of the displays had mild damage. Others looked like Kylo Ren himself had destroyed them in one of his famous temper tantrums. “Sithspit,” Pete murmured. “It’s a mess.” 

“I know,” said Patrick. He was under one of the machines, pulling some wires out. “I’m still trying to get everything together.” 

“Not working on the ship today?” Pete asked. 

“I can’t, the storm is too bad,” Patrick said to him. “Your ship will be fine, but I can’t be out there.” 

“Eugh.” Pete stepped closer and asked, “Hey, I had a question.” 

“What about?” Patrick pulled out another wire and was inspecting it.

“My ship passed through a cloud, and then it fell like a fucking stone! What’s that all about?” 

Patrick stopped and looked at Pete. “Do you remember what color the cloud was?” 

Pete had to think about it, and then nodded. “Yeah, it was green.” 

“Oh, that explains it.” Patrick crawled out from under the console. “That wasn’t a cloud, at least not a regular one. It’s an electromagnetic anomaly. It shorts out most equipment unless it’s shielded from that. It’s why this place is still operational, it was my first project when I transferred out here.” 

Pete was staring at Patrick now, amazed at how smart this kid was. “So that energy shield can deflect scans. And it can hold up against turbolaser batteries, and hold off electromagnetic waves?” 

“Uh, yeah?” He said, rubbing the back of his neck. 

“You’re a genius!” Pete yelled, grinning. It made Patrick jump, but he was smiling all the same. 

“I suppose. I mean, I’m no Jedi but I can build stuff.” 

Aythree warbled at the both of them, and Pete laughed. “Aythree’s right, you’re not giving yourself enough credit.” 

“Maybe not,” Patrick admitted. He wiped his face on a rag, then tossed it in the toolbox and got back under the console. “So are there any special skills you have aside from moving stuff and using a lightsaber?” 

Pete had to think about that. He didn’t have a lot of expertise outside of being a Sith. That wasn’t very helpful in their current circumstances. He sighed and said, “No, unless you count writing.” 

“What kind of writing?” Patrick asked. 

“Poetry for the most part,” Pete said. “But I haven’t in a long time, not since…” He trailed off. Not since he’d left Master Skywalker’s school. 

Patrick poked his head out to look at Pete. “You should practice.” 

“What, writing?”

“Yeah. The Resistance can always use a good writer. Someone’s gotta come up with speeches and propaganda and stuff,” he pointed out. 

“I don’t know if that’s an actual marketable skill,” said Pete, though he did kind of like the idea. 

“Neither is being a dumpy redhead who likes jizzwhaler bands but here we are,” he pointed out. 

That made Pete smile. “You like jizzwhaler music?” 

“Yes, and fuck you if you don’t.” Patrick glared at him and Pete laughed. 

“Actually I love it,” he said. “I mean I know most people think Sy Snootles when they think of it but it’s so much more than her or Max Reebo.” 

“It's like people completely forgot Chantho Rhythm or Zaigai Tusul,” he said. 

“Okay that is _really_ old school! I mean yeah they’re amazing but that’s so old school the Old Republic was still going.” Pete said. 

Patrick grinned at that. “I’ve got a pretty decent holovid collection if you ever wanna hear some of the greats.” 

“I dunno, you named two great artists but that doesn’t mean I can trust your musical taste,” Pete teased. 

“Try me,” said Patrick.

They spent the rest of the afternoon and into the evening talking about music. It was nice to see Patrick’s face light up, but he could also see some pain in him. He was trying to carry on for Master Skywalker, that much Pete knew. He wished there was some way that he could call to his master, introduce him to Patrick.

Pete knew it was impossible. Patrick would have to be Force-sensitive. And far enough along in his training that he could even perceive a Force ghost. Pete wasn’t even sure he was there, as he hadn’t seen or felt Luke since he left the First Order. He had wondered if the dream was a fluke, though the thought had been fleeting. There was no denying what he’d seen, but now he wondered if he was in the right place. 

Was he doing what was right, staying here with Patrick? They were stranded, and Pete wouldn’t go back on his word. He would go as Patrick’s prisoner if need be. This felt far too easy to be the right path, and in his experience, the right path was the hardest. 

He was still thinking about it when they had dinner. Patrick had put together a stew of local vegetables and some frozen meat, though what it was Pete didn’t know. He didn’t ask, for fear of finding out it was something like Ewok or Wookiee or something else horrible. Whatever it was, Patrick had defrosted it, then cooked it with some spices that Pete didn’t recognize. 

The stew came out thick and golden, with bits of white meat, red vegetables, and blue sprigs of spice. Pete took one sip and said, “If you’d made this the first day I’d have told you whatever you wanted to know.” 

Patrick laughed. “It’s one of my favorites, but since we don’t know when we’re getting out of here, I haven’t been making it much. It kind of felt like a special occasion, you know?” 

“Yeah, I kinda do know,” Pete replied. He winced a bit and asked, “Where the hell did you get these?” He pointed at the blue bits in the stew.

“Yavin 4. I know they’re kind of spicy but they make everything taste amazing,” Patrick replied.

“When did you go to Yavin 4?” Pete asked.

“Before I got stationed here. My ex wanted to visit his friends, and I wanted to see the Great Temple.”

Pete sighed. “I would have loved to have seen that. What’s it like?”

“Huge,” Patrick said, but at Pete’s annoyed look he elaborated. “There’s no real way to describe it. The Massassi people built it to withstand the test of time. You can feel how ancient it is, just in the way your voice echoes in there. You can’t help but think how many other voices echoed in that place. And then remembering what it was to the Rebellion, and what they accomplished from there. It’s… Awe-inspiring.”

“Wow… Okay, fuck my poetry. You’re the one who should be writing Resistance propaganda,” he replied. Patrick laughed.

“Nah, I’m not good at that kinda thing. I can fix stuff, I can talk music, that’s about it.”

Pete shrugged at that. The conversation came easy to them, which was strange to think about. Only days ago, they were enemies, or at least that was how Patrick saw them. Pete had never felt such an inclination and didn’t blame Patrick for thinking that way. It wasn’t as though the Knights of Ren had a spotless reputation throughout the galaxy. They talked like they were old friends when they didn’t know each other at all.

It surprised Pete to find out that Patrick’s family actually came from Alderaan. They had only survived the planet’s destruction due to a coincidence.

“Seriously?” Pete asked, tone incredulous.

“Yeah. If it hadn’t been for the delay on the shuttle from Ithor my parents would have been killed,” Patrick replied.

“Amazing. Where are they now?”

At that, Patrick looked sad. “They’re… No longer with us.”

Pete didn’t need the Force to sense this was a painful subject. “Do you wanna talk about it?”

“Another time. I’m about ready to drop.”

He did look tired, it had been a very trying day. Pete volunteered to clean up, and Patrick left the mess hall to go to bed. Pete scrubbed the dishes and put them away, then went to his own room. He shut off the lights as he went, and had a stray thought as he crawled into bed. He wondered if, in another life, he still would have ended up here, but on the right side to begin with.

* * *

It was a few days later when Pete felt something. He woke up that morning and said to Patrick, “You should stay inside today." Patrick shot him a questioning look. 

“Why?” 

Pete frowned and said, “I’ve got a bad feeling. You should stay here today.” 

Patrick looked about ready to argue but then sighed. “Okay, may as well. I can keep working on the comms.” 

“Wait, that’s it?” Pete asked, a bit confused. 

“Yeah, why?” 

“Nothing I… I kinda thought you’d fight me on it,” Pete said to him and Patrick snorted.

“Considering I don’t have an actual alarm system, you’re the closest thing we have,” he replied. Patrick headed to the war room, and Pete followed after him. 

“Wait you don’t have security here?” Pete asked, alarmed. 

“No. It was built into the communications system. When Andy took it out, he took out the early warning system too,” Patrick told him. “The closest thing we have is a tone that sounds whenever someone opens the door. I can’t even lock the fucking thing.” 

“That’s a problem,” Pete said and Patrick scoffed.

“No, really? I wouldn’t have guessed!” He said with sarcasm. “Look, I can’t secure it because the system doesn’t recognize me as the chief officer. And since Andy isn’t dead it won’t update me as the commander of this station.” 

Pete was about to reply, but then he felt it. Someone was approaching, someone with ill intentions. He asked Patrick, “What kind of weapons do you have here?” 

“My blaster.”

“Anything else?” 

“The turbolaser battery but it’s offline.” 

There was a thunderous boom, causing the building to shake. Patrick rushed over to one of the monitors, which showed local radar. Three ships headed in their direction. They weren’t First Order or Resistance, and Pete asked, “Any idea who they are?” 

“Judging by their spoofed transponders and retrofitted engines I’d say, pirates.” Patrick’s voice was cool and steady, but Pete could sense the fear in him. 

“What kind of manpower are we talking about here?” 

“They’re individual fighters, they wouldn’t hold more than one or two people.”

“Can that cannon of yours take them out?” 

Patrick stood up and nodded. “Yes.” 

Pete said, “Get it online,” and ran from the room. 

“Where are you going?” Patrick called after him.

“To be the distraction!” Pete shouted over his shoulder. 

He was out of the base in seconds, pouring on speed through the Force. He needed to draw them away from the base long enough for Patrick to boot up the laser. Then back so Patrick could shoot them down. He only hoped that he could keep them distracted. He heard an engine overhead, and looked up to see one of the cruisers was after him, but not the other. 

“Oh come on!” Pete yelled. He had to think fast. How to make himself the sole target. He ignited his lightsaber, the red blade in stark relief to his surroundings. It was an attention grabber, and he wasn’t surprised when the ship opened fire. Pete dodged out of the way and kept running. 

Pete wished he were stronger in the Force, that he could do the things he’d seen Master Skywalker or Kylo Ren do. They would have been able to deflect the blasts or make the ships crash into each other. Pete, on the other hand, had exactly one plan. Run, and try to get the ships to follow.

It wasn’t easy to outrun a ship either, not even a single fighter. But that much he could do with his Force abilities. He used them to move faster than humanly possible but kept the lightsaber on. They needed to be able to see him if Pete was going to lure them into the trap. 

They didn’t appear to be the brains of whatever operation they were part of. Pete had to change course when another ship appeared in front of him, trying to cut off his exit. He turned left and ran faster, saying to himself, “I can do this, I can do this!” He didn’t doubt his physical capabilities in the least. What he was trying to avoid was the Dark Side.

He knew he could reach down, into that dark place inside him. He would find power, and it would be enough to crush the ships like toys. Pete could feel the temptation, that it would be so easy. Like child’s play. But then, he felt more than heard Master Skywalker’s words. ‘Keep doing the right thing’ and ‘I have faith in you.’

Pete by this time had scrambled up a steep hill, and nearly fell back down it again when he saw the third fighter. He leaped high in the air, avoiding the ground fire from the ship. He made a right and kept running. He could hear the other ships coming, and he was breathing hard. He’d been timing things in his head and knew that Patrick would have the turbolaser up by now. They didn’t seem to notice Pete was taking them back to the base, or they didn’t care. 

When he saw the battery was operational, and Patrick was seated at the controls, Pete let out a hoarse laugh. He saw Patrick aim, and Pete leaped down the hill, sliding down the side. He looked up just in time to see Patrick blow all three fighters out of the sky. Pete let out a celebratory howl, and cheered, “ _Yes!_ Patrick, you’re the best!” 

That was when the exhaustion hit him. Pete extinguished the lightsaber and managed to make it back inside. Patrick met him in the atrium, saying, “Holy sithspit! Pete that was amazing!” 

“Yeah?” He asked, still panting. He was smiling though, and so was Patrick. 

“We did it,” he muttered, it sounded as though he were in awe. 

“Yay teamwork! Except for Aythree, they were no help.” The droid had appeared by this time and made several sounds of virulent protest. Pete laughed as Aythree knocked into his leg. “Okay okay! Sorry, I didn’t realize you helped. Yay team including Aythree.” 

He felt disgusting, covered in sweat and mud from running around out in the wilderness. Patrick looked only a little better. His skin was glistening with perspiration, and Pete could see how anxious he’d been. But his cheeks were flushed, and he was grinning at Pete. He was about to tell him they should shower when Patrick surprised Pete by grabbing him and kissing him. 

Pete froze for a moment, he couldn’t have been more shocked. Patrick was a kid, a member of the Resistance, one of the few remaining Alderaanians, a good guy. And he was kissing Pete! He didn’t have the willpower to resist, and Pete kissed Patrick right back. They wrapped their arms around each other, and Patrick was thrusting his tongue into Pete’s mouth. Pete loved it, if he’d been thinking about Patrick’s kissing at all, he would have guessed that he was aggressive.

But the spell was soon broken, and Patrick dragged his mouth away from Pete’s. Pete tried to reconnect, but Patrick took several steps back. He was still flushed, but it wasn’t from victory. It was from embarrassment. Pete reached out for him, wanting to soothe Patrick’s nerves. Patrick shook his head and fled the room.

Pete sighed and looked down at Aythree. They looked back at Pete with what he thought was confusion. They whistled and tootled at him, and Pete said, “I have no idea where that came from.” 

The droid rolled off, and Pete let his head fall back for a moment. He had no idea what had happened. And he didn’t care, he’d liked it. Kissing Patrick had felt right. Pete was surprised that he hadn’t considered it sooner. A few weeks ago he’d been with the First Order. And he was Patrick’s prisoner up until recently. No one could blame him for having other things on his mind. 

He returned to his quarters and showered, content to let Patrick stew over what had happened. As far as Pete was concerned, there were three options. They could write it off as a one-time thing. It was understandable, they’d been under a lot of stress with pirates showing up. They could pretend it never happened. Which would be awkward but not too hard to work around. The third option… That was something Pete didn’t dare entertain, though it was tempting.

Pete hadn’t been intimate with anyone in years. The Dark Side had eaten away at all his relationships. Until there was nothing left but the First Order, Snoke, and the Knights of Ren. He didn’t share himself, not anymore. Not since Snoke had used his hopes, dreams, and deepest fears to control him. 

It would be difficult, sharing himself with someone, and not only physically. There was so much in Pete that was broken and tainted with darkness. He didn’t want that to hurt Patrick. He had decided to completely ignore the whole thing when he felt a presence. 

“Those were some pretty sweet moves, right?” Pete asked, sitting on his bunk.

“You’re quicker than you used to be,” Master Skywalker replied. 

Pete shrugged and wiped his face with his towel. He had already changed into sleeping clothes, and curling up in bed seemed like a fantastic idea. However, he knew Master Skywalker was there for a reason. He asked, “So, what’s up?” 

“Nothing much,” he replied, and Pete rolled his eyes.

“I mean why are you here?” 

“Why are any of us here?” 

“Okay,” Pete frowned at him. “I’m beat, and I wanna go to sleep. Plus if Patrick comes in he’s gonna think I’m talking to myself.” 

“So?” Master Skywalker asked, and Pete sighed. 

“Getting to the point would be great so I can take a nap. Also, I don’t want Patrick to think I’m crazy.” 

He stepped closer, and said to Pete, “You’re not crazy. But you would be if you turned away from him.” 

Pete stared at him for a moment, unsure he heard that right. He then asked, “Did you come here to give me dating advice?” 

“It’s not dating advice,” he replied. He sat down next to Pete on the bed. “Tell me, what did you feel today?” 

“Temptation,” said Pete. 

“Temptation to what?” 

“Use the Dark Side.” 

Master Skywalker fixed him with a look, one that Pete had gotten to know very well. The one that said that Pete was behind in the lesson. “What else?” 

“Uh…” Pete squirmed a little. He bit his lip, but he didn’t see judgment in Master Skywalker’s eyes. “I wanna share myself with Patrick.”

“So why don’t you?” He asked and Pete groaned. 

“Where do I start? It’s bad enough he knows who I am. I don’t wanna see the look on his face when it hits him what that means. I was a Sith! I’m not…” Pete trailed off. 

“You’re not good enough for him?” 

“Not by a long shot,” Pete mumbled, covering his face with his hands. 

“Look, kid,” said Master Skywalker. “I told you, this wouldn’t be easy. You don’t have to go this alone you know.” 

“But Patrick’s a good guy!” he said, throwing his hands in the air. “He can’t…” He almost said deal with it. But Patrick had dealt with being abandoned, and being alone on a strange moon he’d known nothing about. He was a genius, who could deal with quite a lot. So Pete added, “I don’t want to hurt him.” 

“You wouldn’t be hurting him by telling him about yourself,” he told Pete. He leaned closer. “You need support if you’re to stay away from the Dark Side. You don’t have to do this on your own. I know it’s hard to let people in, and where it’s gotten you in the past. Don’t be afraid this time.” 

“What if he ends up hating me?” Pete asked. There it was, spoken plainly. 

“I won’t lie to you, that could happen. But I have a question for you.” Pete looked up at Master Skywalker, who was smiling kindly. “What if he ends up loving you?” 

That made Pete’s heart skip a beat. Love? That was something he hadn’t felt in years. The possibility was tantalizing. The thought alone made his head feel light, and he smiled. But then he remembered the Jedi Path and sighed. “Not that it’ll do much good. The Jedi are forbidden attachments.” He let his head fall back on the bed. 

“They were,” Master Skywalker agreed. “And it led to their downfall. Pete, look at me.” Pete lifted his head. “Break free from the Jedi dogma, forge your own path. The Light Side is as complicated as the Dark Side is simple, but there is more than one way to serve the Light. And if you find love in the meantime? Then this will have all been worth it.” 

Pete didn’t know what to say to that, and Master Skywalker seemed to have run out of words. He faded from view. Pete curled up in his bed and shut off the light. He had a lot to think about but wasn’t inclined to act. At least not until he knew how Patrick would respond. For all Pete knew, Patrick wouldn’t be interested in a former Sith. 

Fear and hope chased each other around in Pete’s heart, but eventually, he fell asleep.


	4. Chapter Four

It was awkward for a few days. Pete could feel the embarrassment coming from Patrick. Pete didn’t want to press him. It’s not as though he could say, ‘So the ghost of my dead teacher says it’s totally okay for us to start dating’. That would have made the awkwardness even worse. Pete was still tempted, as the look on Patrick’s face would have been hilarious.

While Pete and Patrick were dancing around things left unsaid, Aythree seemed lost. They could see that things weren’t working the way they were supposed to and fretted over it. Aythree would bring things to Patrick. They ranged from food to tools to datapads, and Patrick would decline. Aythree would then try to nudge Pete over to Patrick, but Pete would shake his head and leave the room.

He wondered if he should make the first move, but it turns out Pete didn’t have to. On the fourth day after the kiss, Patrick came to find Pete. Pete had been in the empty hangar, performing several Jedi exercises. He was relearning what it was to tap into the light side of the Force, and he was finding it difficult.

At first, he had been fine, but then he had plateaued and wasn’t sure how to get over that. He was in the center of the room, levitating spare parts and some equipment when Patrick walked in. Pete was so startled he nearly dropped everything, but he managed to place it all on the ground. Patrick was blushing, but there was a determined set to his jaw. 

“I need to talk to you,” Patrick said, and Pete got up. 

“Yeah? I’m all ears.” 

Patrick hesitated, biting his lip. But then the determination returned, and he said, “It’s about the other day. I’m sorry for jumping on you like that.” 

“Why?” Pete asked, frowning. 

“I should have asked first, or said something instead of hey here come my lips,” Patrick said to him. “So I’m sorry, and I hope you’ll forgive me.” 

“I have one question,” Pete said, and at Patrick’s nod he asked, “Can we do it again?” 

“What?” Patrick squeaked and Pete grinned at him. 

“I liked kissing you, and you liked kissing me. So how about it? Wanna kiss again?” 

“I- -we- -,” stuttered Patrick. 

Pete stepped closer to him, saying, “I like you, I think you like me too. If you’re not interested you can tell me to go to hell. But if you are, I’d be up for anything.” 

Patrick was blushing so hard he was red from his neck up to the roots of his hair. He was a stuttering mess and it was one of the cutest things that Pete had ever seen. When he’d finally composed himself he shouted, “We don’t know each other at all!” 

“I know, that’s what dating is about, getting to know people,” said Pete. 

“Are you doing this to mess with me?” Patrick asked.

“No, of course not,” said Pete. He held his hand out to Patrick and asked, “Would you go out with me?” 

He was hesitating again, Pete could practically hear Patrick’s thoughts. In the end, he took Pete’s hand and nodded. “Yeah, okay.” 

“Cool, so first date tonight? We could do dinner and a movie,” said Pete. 

“What? How? There’s no holotheater here, not on this planet anyway,” Patrick replied and Pete snorted. 

“Have faith, I’ll make it happen,” Pete said and Patrick rolled his eyes.

“What, with Jedi powers?” 

“Yeah, the power of being creative and romantic. It’s a very well known Jedi power.” 

Patrick laughed and shook his head. “You’re the worst, I’m regretting this already.” 

“I know.” Pete gave him a wet smacking kiss on the cheek, then said, “Go find something to do for a few hours. I need to borrow Aythree so we have an awesome date. I’ll pick you up at 1900.” 

He laughed again and left the hangar, wiping at his face. Pete went and found the droid, who, once Pete told them the plan, was very enthusiastic and wanted to help. Pete wasn’t great at the more technical aspects of the plan. But Aythree was and even knew which holodramas Patrick favored. Of course, most of them revolved around music. 

“I wish I could write him a song,” he told the droid. At Aythree’s curious whistles, Pete shook his head. “No, believe me, you don’t want me to sing to him. I don’t want me to sing to him, he’d dump me immediately.” 

Once that was ready, he went to make dinner. Pete knew that Patrick wouldn’t consider their date a special occasion, so the mynock stew was out. He took a look at what else was in the canteen and found enough to make a dish he hoped Patrick would like. Corellia wasn’t known for its cuisine, but it was a recipe that Pete knew well and could make in his sleep. 

When he finished, he left it in the nanowave stove to keep it warm and went to clean up. Pete didn’t have much in the way of clothing. What had been left behind by the other Resistance fighters wasn’t date appropriate. So he did the best he could. 

He smiled to himself as he made his way to Patrick’s quarters. He knocked on the door, and when Patrick answered, he said, “Hi, I’m here to pick you up.” 

“I didn’t think you were serious,” Patrick replied, fighting to hold back a smile. 

“I was. Shall we?” He offered Patrick his arm, which he accepted. They walked down the hall together to the mess hall. Once there Pete made a big show of pulling out Patrick’s chair for him, which made him laugh. 

“You’re going to do all the cliches on this one huh?” 

“Except the part where I try to get you to put out on a first date,” Pete replied. He went and got the food, making sure that it looked nice and fancy. Or at least as fancy as it could for a military base. “Tada!” 

Patrick was sniffing the air, and he said, “It smells delicious. What is it?” 

“Nerf and grain medley,” said Pete, shrugging. “It’s not super fancy but my mom used to make it and I liked it.” 

They started eating, and after the first bite, Patrick smiled. “This is amazing.” 

“You think so? I don’t know if I got the sauce right,” Pete said. He took another bite and shook his head. “Not quite like mom’s, it’s close though, real close.” 

“Tastes perfect to me,” assured Patrick. He took a few more bites. “You know, I never asked. Where are you from?” 

“Corellia,” he said, looking at his plate. 

“Wait, really? What was it like growing up there? I know it wasn’t great during the Empire’s time.” 

“Yeah, it was a real cesspool back then, that’s what my Dad says anyway. Not that he would know his family came from money. They weren’t Imperials but they didn’t mind being bankrolled by them.” Pete got a piece of nerf stuck between his teeth and paused to get it out. 

“Anyway, once the New Republic took control of the planet they really cleaned up. My parents helped out with that too. They were already contributing to a lot of charity organizations anyway. But the Empire hadn’t ever been super interested in helping the poor if you know what I mean.”

Patrick snorted. “Wow, what a surprise.” 

“I know, such a shock.” 

“What was it like though? Growing up on the homeworld of the famous Han Solo?” 

Pete raised an eyebrow. “Bit of idol worship going on there?” 

Patrick blushed. “A little.” 

“It wasn’t bad. Could have been, if my parents weren’t who they were. I know there are still crime lords who run drug and theft operations using orphans. CorSec is running them out but they can’t be everywhere at once.” 

“What’s CorSec?” 

“Corellian Security Force,” Pete replied. “Anyway, Han Solo was kind of a divisive figure on Corellia. Some people love him because of his role in helping stop the Empire. Others hate him for the same reason. Not all the people getting rich off the shipbuilding are as nice as my parents.” Pete could feel confusion and sadness coming from Patrick, so he asked, “You okay?” 

“You said he was,” Patrick muttered.

“And?” 

“When did he die?” 

It took Pete a moment to get it but when he did he cursed himself for being such an idiot. Of course, Patrick didn’t know! Not stuck out here on this rock. 

“He died on the Starkiller Base mission. Slain by Kylo Ren,” Pete replied, not bothering to hide the sadness in his voice. “Han was trying to reason with him, get him to turn back to the Light. Kylo--” Pete swallowed, it was hard to talk when Patrick’s grief was about to choke him. “He thought once he killed his father, he would no longer feel the call of the Light. He could devote himself fully to the Dark Side.” 

Patrick was crying, so Pete got up and moved his chair so he was sitting next to him. He put an arm around Patrick and mumbled, “I’m sorry.” 

“Did it work?” Patrick asked. “Killing Han Solo?” 

Pete shook his head. “No, it made the conflict in him worse. I don’t think the thing with that girl helped. She’s a paragon of the Light and that made him even more confused. I guess it made him determined to be an asshole.” 

“But not you?” Patrick asked, frowning. 

“No, not me,” said Pete, shaking his head. 

Patrick wiped at his face, asking, “Then why are you trying to turn over a new leaf?” 

“It started months ago, with the incident I told you about with Keyad, but it got much worse recently.” He scooted back a little, but took Patrick’s hand and squeezed it. “Hosnian Prime. I felt it when the system was destroyed. We’d done that. Me, Kylo Ren, Keyad, Snoke, Hux, all of us. We were the ones responsible.”

“What was it like?” Patrick asked in a timid tone. 

“I remember… Luke told us once about his master. How Obi-Wan Kenobi said he felt a disturbance in the Force when the Imperials destroyed Alderaan. That wasn’t a disturbance. It was being torn apart and put back together and torn apart again. I could feel so much pain, fear, grief, that I couldn’t breathe. I threw up and passed out,” said Pete. 

Patrick squeezed his hand, and Pete realized they were both crying. He said, “I’m sorry, that must have been awful for you. I know how bad it was hearing about it but feeling it? That’s another level.” 

“It wasn’t fun,” Pete said. He sniffed a bit and added, “I’m sorry. I wanted us to have a nice date, and instead, we’re both upset.” 

“No, it’s okay,” Patrick assured him. He picked up his glass from the table, and Pete did the same. “To Han Solo, the best pilot in the galaxy.” 

“To Han Solo, the best smuggler in the galaxy,” Pete replied, and they toasted. 

After that, they changed to lighter conversation topics. Pete could tell Patrick was still sad but he didn't let it show. When they finished eating, Pete led him to the main hangar, where Aythree was waiting. They greeted them with a friendly beep and then rolled over to where Pete had set up a lounge.

“Did you steal this out of the break room?” Patrick asked. 

“I’m gonna put it back,” Pete said to him, and Patrick laughed. 

They settled on the sofa together, and Aythree rolled up onto the platform that Pete had set up. They started to play a holodrama, and Patrick gasped. “This is Cresh and the Attraction!” 

“Yep.” 

“This is my absolute favorite!” 

“It’s the sing-along version too,” said Pete, grinning. 

Patrick looked at him wide-eyed, then said, “I am not singing for you.” 

“I would love it if you sang for me. But no that’s not why it’s the sing-along version. I don’t know the words to any of the songs, I wanna learn them.” 

Patrick grabbed Pete and kissed him, then turned back to the holodrama. It was entertaining, and Pete could see the appeal as the music was great. The story was a little ridiculous, but Pete wasn’t going to point fingers. After all, he loved anything involving Ewoks. About halfway through the movie, Patrick’s restraint buckled. He started to sing, and Pete couldn’t help staring at him.

His voice was golden, like dawn on Bespin. He sounded young, pure, and everything that Pete wasn’t. He felt a stab of guilt; he didn’t want to infect Patrick with his darkness. But another part of him, a likely selfish part, rebuked that thought. Patrick knew what he was, he knew what Pete had done. And they were on a date! A date that seemed to be going pretty well. He wasn’t some starry-eyed, sheltered little farm boy from nowhere. He was an adult, and he was a member of the Resistance. 

As though sensing Pete’s thoughts, Patrick turned to look at him. He blushed, but he also smiled a little. He didn’t stop singing, instead of looking at the screen, he turned and sang directly to Pete. The song was about love, of course, and finding someone new. Pete wished he knew the words so he could sing along, even if his voice was nowhere near as good. They were holding hands, and when the song was over, they kissed. 

It was a perfect moment, something that Pete would treasure. When they broke apart, he snuggled into Pete’s side, and he threw an arm around Patrick’s shoulders. They watched the rest of the movie. Patrick sometimes singing along, but mostly they held each other. When the holodrama was over, Pete walked Patrick back to his quarters. 

“This was lovely,” Patrick muttered, a smirk on his face.

“I had a great time,” he replied and grinned. “So, you wanna go out again?” 

“A second date?” 

“Yeah.” 

Patrick tapped his finger against his chin, pretending to consider it. He then grinned. “You could persuade me. But next time I’ll organize the date.” 

“You’re on,” Pete replied. He cupped Patrick’s face with his hand and pressed their lips together. They were both still smiling, and a stray giggle or two made it difficult to kiss. But when Pete withdrew, Patrick was glowing. He was also doing his best to stifle a yawn.

“I’ll see you later,” Patrick replied. 

Pete went back to his own quarters, and once there, he couldn’t help a cheer of satisfaction. The date had gone well, and sure it had gotten a little sad and awkward around the middle, but they’d both had a great time. He got ready for bed, feeling better than he’d felt in years. 

But when he did his nightly meditation, he made himself pause. Was he using Patrick, to drag himself back to the Light? That didn’t seem right. Patrick deserved better than that. He thought that would be a great subject for his meditation, so he ruminated on the issue. He was glad that Luke didn’t appear, as that would have been very awkward. He wasn’t up for talking about his love life with his former master again. 

He went over his various highs and lows since arriving on Lyursa. Patrick was driven, he was amazingly smart, and he was compassionate. And there was so much about him that Pete didn’t know, and he wanted to learn it all. Pete hadn’t felt like that since he’d met Ben Solo. 

Then it hit him, and Pete opened his eyes. It wasn’t that he was using Patrick, it was so much more than that. Pete hadn’t felt love since his turn to the Dark Side. It wasn’t until he’d rejected the Dark Side, and began using the Light Side again he was able to feel anything like it. He wasn’t in love with Patrick yet, but he wasn’t far from it. And if he hadn’t escaped the First Order’s influence, then Pete wouldn’t be capable of that depth of emotion. 

Pete had never believed the old Jedi codes, that one had to be unattached to avoid the temptations of the Dark Side. Ben Solo had been about as unattached as one could get, and he still fell and became Kylo Ren. And now that Pete was striving for Light again… He could fall in love. It was a dizzying and also terrifying thought. 

It made him giddy, and when he fell asleep that night, he was grinning.

* * *

They settled into an easy routine after that. Pete didn’t like Patrick going out alone. So with great effort, he used the Force to carry the ship back to the base and into the hangar. Patrick worked on the shuttle for most of the day. He had to replace most of the systems by hand since they had been taken out by the electromagnetic anomaly. Pete teased him about having better luck building a ship from the ground up, but Patrick ignored him. 

While Patrick fixed up the ship, Pete would do his own work. He was more determined now to regain his use of the Light Side of the Force, and trained every day. He also began teaching Patrick some hand to hand combat, when it became clear he knew next to nothing. Sometimes they would wrestle, which would often turn into make-out sessions. As it was, they both trained hard. 

At Pete’s insistence, they had at least one date each week. They would watch holodramas, read to each other. On one memorable occasion, Pete insisted that Patrick should learn how to dance. The problem being that neither one of them knew how. Lessons were easy to find on the HoloNet. But actually following the instructions was difficult. Pete was having a great time, though something was nagging him. 

Pete could feel something coming, he had felt it for days. It was only when he woke up one morning that he knew what it was. As soon as it hit him, he ran into the common area, he almost knocked Patrick over as he prepared breakfast.

“What’s wrong?” Patrick asked.

“We’ve got company, they’re landing now,” Pete replied.

“SHIT!” Patrick yelled. Pete grabbed his lightsaber, and Patrick grabbed his blaster. They could hear the base doors opening as they approached. Patrick crouched low, hidden in an alcove. He said to Pete, “I’ll try and stun them if that doesn’t work do what you can. Make sure they get no further than the atrium.”

Pete nodded, and they waited. They heard footsteps approaching, and people talking. Though, they didn’t sound like pirates. They sounded completely at ease, as though they belonged there. They turned the corner, and Patrick aimed, but then stopped.

“Oh my God… Poe?” Patrick said, voice soft.

One of the men looked up, and Pete couldn’t believe he hadn’t recognized him sooner. It was Poe Dameron.

“Patrick?” He said, equally surprised. He then grinned and said, “You’re alive!”

Patrick was grinning, and he and Poe hugged each other tight. “I thought you were dead!”

Pete couldn’t help smiling. He’d never seen Patrick this happy, and while he could admit he was a little jealous, it was a welcome sight. Patrick and Poe were talking a mile a minute, but then Poe saw him and raised an eyebrow, “Is that my jacket?”

Pete looked at the jacket he was wearing, then back at Poe. “Maybe? I found it in the laundry room on the Supremacy.”

“Poe,” Patrick said, pulling away to stand next to Pete. “This is Pete Wentz, formerly Kaos Ren.”

Poe’s eyes widened, but he didn’t pull his blaster, which Pete considered a good sign. “You’re serious?”

“Yeah,” Patrick replied. “He’s been helping me.”

Poe looked Pete up and down, then asked, “You trust him?”

“Yes.” There was no hesitation in Patrick’s voice, and it made Pete’s heart pound.

“Okay, good enough for me,” Poe replied.

More people approached. A man with some of the curliest hair Pete had ever seen, a woman with cat-like features, and someone that Pete thought he would never see again.

“Brendon?” He said, surprised.

Brendon’s eyes widened too, he then grinned and ran to Pete, knocking him off his feet with the force of his hug. “Pete! Pete! Pete!” He was so happy, it made Pete laugh.

“Oh no, the Resistance gave you sugar, didn’t they?” Pete said with mock horror but squeezed him back.

“Hey we’re not that stupid,” said the curly haired man.

Brendon was giggling. “I never thought I’d see you again! You’re okay! You’re here! Did you leave the Knights of Ren? Are you still evil? Oh, I probably shouldn’t hug you if you’re still evil. I missed you!”

Patrick stood over them, an amused look on his face. “Do you two know each other?”

“Brendon was my neighbor back on Corellia. His family lived a few sectors down from mine,” Pete replied, giving him a squeeze. “C’mon kiddo, get off me.” Brendon pouted, but he got up and helped Pete stand.

“Oh, Pete! These are my friends,” he gestured to the man and woman, “Joe and Vicky. They’re the best.”

“You’re just trying to butter us up,” Vicky said, a sly smile on her face. “I already told you, no more candy.” 

“No! My nefarious plan!” He said jokingly, his grin wide. 

A Shistavanen came in and growled something to Poe, who nodded. “All right. We’ve got supplies and enough equipment we can get this place back up and running in no time. I’ve gotta report to Leia. Patrick, she’ll want a report from you as well.” 

“Can I come too?” Brendon asked, smirking.

Poe rolled his eyes but laughed. “Yeah, c’mon. Pete, can you show the others where everything is?” 

“Yeah, you got it,” Pete replied. He put his lightsaber away, and said, “This way, folks.” 

He helped the others get settled in, unloading supplies and assigning rooms. When he came back, Brendon insisted on rooms near Pete, which he didn’t protest. It was nice to see a familiar face, especially when it was someone who wasn’t twisted by the Dark Side. Brendon was exactly how Pete remembered him, hyper and wanting to help. Though now he was taller and had grown into his features.

Once that was finished, Joe and Vicky set to work trying to fix the communications system. Joe let out a low whistle when he saw it. “Holy shit, did you do this?” He asked, looking at Pete.

“It was Andy,” Patrick growled.

Vicky was pulling the equipment apart, and she said, “There’s no way we can salvage this. What the hell was Andy thinking?”

“That I was gonna rat him and the others out and they wanted a head start.”

Poe gave Patrick a pitying look, then asked, “How long ago did they leave?”

“Right after the destruction of Hosnian Prime. They didn’t even stick around to hear that you guys destroyed Starkiller base. They packed up and ran for it. I’m sorry, I tried to stop them,” said Patrick, and Pete reached over and squeezed his hand to reassure him.

“I know you did,” Poe replied.

Joe shook his head, muttering, “I still can’t believe Andy bailed.”

“Me neither,” Vicky said, then looked at Joe. “He recruited you didn’t he?”

“And Patrick, and Hayley,” He confirmed.

“She go with him?” She asked, and Patrick nodded.

“Yeah, everyone left,” Patrick muttered. He wouldn’t look anyone in the eye, and he added, “And I’m sorry I couldn’t respond to your distress call. I would have if I could have.”

“Hey, the important thing is you’re still alive and you’re still with the Resistance. You even recruited someone, so double bonus,” Poe said and smiled at Patrick.

“Wait, you want me in the Resistance?” Pete asked, surprised.

“You don’t want to join?” Poe responded.

He shook his head, “No. I mean, of course, I do. I thought you guys would want me in a cell.”

“To be fair? Most of the Resistance officers totally said you should be locked up,” said Brendon.

“So why aren’t I?”

Brendon grinned. “Patrick vouched for you. Me too, but it was mostly Patrick. That was good enough for Poe, and it was good enough for General Organa. So congratulations, you're not being arrested!”

Pete looked at Patrick, who wasn’t meeting his gaze. He stepped over to him and whispered, ‘You vouched for me?”

“I told you I would,” Patrick replied, then finally looked up at him. 

“Did you tell her about…” He trailed off, and Patrick nodded. 

“Yes. She said it was all right.” He reached a hand up and touched Pete’s face. 

“Thank you,” Pete said. 

“My pleasure.” Patrick kissed his cheek. 

“You guys are so sweet I might cry,” Brendon mocked, and Pete laughed. 

“You’re jealous.” 

“Nuh uh! I have a girlfriend! A real one this time! Her name is Sarah and she’s the most amazing person ever.” 

“You know saying that you have a real girlfriend she still sounds made up,” Joe said, chuckling. 

“She _is_ real! And when I get back to Corellia we’re getting married so there! And none of you are invited to the wedding because you’re all mean!” 

Poe pouted, and asked, “Not even me? I can’t come?” He’d let his hair fall in his face, and Pete was struck by exactly how good looking he was. Brendon thought so as well, as he buckled under that gaze.

“Ugh, okay you’re invited. I hate it when you do the puppy dog eyes. No one as sexy as you should be able to do that so effectively,” Brendon whined. 

“Call it a gift,” Poe told him, and Pete laughed again. 

He felt… Good. For the first time in a long time. He could feel the goodness in these people. Sure they were scared, they’d be crazy not to be. But he felt from them what he felt from Patrick. Conviction, and belief in a good cause. He threw his arm around Patrick, finally feeling at ease. Though he couldn’t help himself, part of him worried that it wouldn’t last. 

He ignored it. It would last, he would make it last.


	5. Chapter Five

A week went by, and it had been busy. General Organa decided that Lyursa was too close to the uncharted zone. It was too close to First Order territory. That meant having to pack up everything on the base and move. It was hard work, but that didn’t mean Pete didn’t have some fun.

For starters, he’d reconnected with Brendon. He remembered him as a scrawny, silly kid on Corellia who was quite theatrical. He’d been sad when Pete left, but he was as bright and shiny as ever. It was a little annoying, though it did make Pete happy to see some things hadn’t changed. 

He was getting a sense of sadness, though Pete wasn’t sure why. Brendon wouldn’t talk about it, covering it up with a smile. Pete didn’t want to pressure him, deciding Brendon would tell him in his own time.

At breakfast one morning, Brendon was telling the story of how he joined the Resistance. “And it’s not even like I did anything wrong, I didn’t know that we weren’t supposed to bring a ysalimir onboard! I wasn’t hiding it they just weren’t looking.” 

Pete laughed at that. “So you smuggled an illegal pet onto Alakatha? How’d that work out?” 

Brendon grinned at that. “Pretty nice profit. That chancellor loved that ugly ass lizard.” 

“I knew it!” Pete yelled, laughing. 

“Shut up you’re just jealous,” Brendon said. He sat up a little straighter, and said, “And it got me a great job.” 

“Doing what? Stealing hyperfuel?” He asked, rolling his eyes.

“Nope! I was working for Han Solo!” 

Pete actually dropped his plate, mouth open in shock. “Liar!” 

“I was! I was working for _the_ Han Solo! He happened to be on Alakatha at the same time. He said he was on vacation but of course he was on a job. He liked how I charmed the chancellor and offered me a job on the spot.” 

“He’s leaving out the best part,” Joe interrupted, shooting Pete a smile.

“No I’m not,” said Brendon. “That was the best part!”

“Nuh uh.” Joe cleared his throat and then did what Pete imagined was an impression of Han Solo. “Leia, you gotta take this kid off my hands or I’m gonna strangle him.” 

Brendon’s jaw dropped, and he pointed his spork at Joe. “You’re making that up!” 

“He’s not,” Vicky said, sporting a wicked grin of her own. 

“He wasn’t gonna strangle me!” Brendon had his arms crossed and was frowning. He then mumbled, “He said he was gonna push me out the airlock.” 

That got Pete roaring with laughter. He laughed so hard he was in tears. He squeezed Brendon’s shoulder and said, “I’m sure that was his way of showing affection.” 

“He’s actually pretty useful though,” Joe said. 

“Yeah, he’s great at talkin’ people into things,” Vicky agreed.

“That’s not surprising,” he gave Brendon a nudge. “Always was a charmer.” 

Pete looked over to the other table, where Poe and Patrick were eating. They were having a conversation that Pete was definitely not supposed to be a part of. Poe looked over at him, and Pete felt a wave of nervous energy. 

Poe left the mess hall, leaving Pete to wonder what the hell that was all about. Patrick moved over to their table when Poe left but didn’t comment on what that had been about. Pete chose not to ask. 

It was later in the day when he would find out.

“Where are we even going?” Pete asked as he moved a few boxes. 

“Classified,” Poe told him.

“That’s comforting,” he replied, snorting. 

Poe gave him a look but didn’t say anything. He could sense something from him though, a strange tension. Pete frowned, and once he’d put the boxes on the transport, he walked back over to Poe and asked, “Are you okay?” 

“Perfect, never better. Why?” 

“Because I’m making you nervous,” said Pete. “Like, standing next to a starving rancor nervous.” 

Poe’s eyes widened, and Pete could see the effort it cost him to keep from taking a step back. “It’s none of your business.” 

“It is if you’re flying me into a trap.” Pete tilted his head and narrowed his eyes. He could figure it out if he tried, though he wasn’t sure it was worth the effort. Pete felt an itch on his scalp and raised his hand towards his head. That made Poe take several steps back, which confused Pete further. He scratched, then asked, “What?” 

“Uh… Nothing,” said Poe. An obvious lie. 

Pete looked around, seeing that the rest of the team was busy. He looked at Poe and said, “Come with me.” He then walked out of the hangar. He led Poe outside, over near the shield generator. He could feel Poe’s hesitancy and fear. There was something stronger there, determination. He wanted to conquer his fears. But why in the hell would he be afraid of Pete? 

Once they were alone, Poe said, “Look, we’re not leading you into a trap. But I can’t actually say where we’re going, I’ve got strict orders on that.” 

“I’m not worried about that,” replied Pete. He gave Poe a sympathetic look, and asked, “What happened to you?” 

“What do you mean?” 

“I can feel the nervous energy coming off you like a wave. And I know it’s because of me. So spill it, what’s the matter? If it’s my abilities, I can spend the whole trip in restraints and sedated.” 

Poe raised an eyebrow. “You’d do that?” 

“You’re the one flying us, I’d rather we didn’t come out of hyperspace at a black hole or something because you’re scared of me.” He offered Poe a smile, but he didn’t return it.

“It’s not you. I had a bad experience, it makes me kind of jumpy around people with Force powers,” he said quietly. 

Pete crossed his arms over his chest, and said, “You’ve run into the Knights of Ren before.” It wasn’t a question. 

“Kylo Ren,” Poe admitted. He ran a hand through his hair roughly and began to pace. 

“And you’re still alive?” Pete asked, and then it dawned on him. He snapped his fingers and pointed at Poe, saying, “You’re that pilot! The one that stormtrooper rescued!” 

Poe winced and nodded. “Yeah, that’s me.” 

“Wow, it’s a good thing you got out of there,” he said. He then remembered Kylo’s interrogation techniques, and Pete scowled. Poe couldn’t possibly think that he would do something like that! Judging from his expression, that was exactly what he thought. Pete sighed and said, “I’m not gonna do that to you.” 

“How do I know that?” Poe asked.

Pete shrugged. “You don’t. But General Organa can use the Force, she can,” he made wiggly fingers. “Work her magic on me.” 

“She’s not our only Force user,” Poe replied. “Rey’s more powerful than Leia and Luke combined. She’d be able to tell us for sure what your intentions are.” 

Pete blinked at that and then grinned. “She’s alive?!” 

“Yes,” Poe said, caution in his voice.

“Haha! She’s alive!” He couldn’t help it, he danced in a circle and thrust a fist in the air. 

Poe grabbed him by the shoulders, saying, “You know Rey?” 

Pete paused, and said, “I know of her, we haven’t met. She was on the _Supremacy_. I knew Kylo lured her into a trap, that man is not subtle. I was going to help her but he got to her before I did.” 

“How did you know she was coming?” 

“I could sense it.” Pete shrugged. “Snoke and Kylo had this plan to try to turn her to the Dark Side. I wasn’t there when they got together but I know Snoke is dead because of her. If she were here I’d buy her a drink.” 

He was staring at Pete, and then he said, “Well pal, you’re gonna meet her.” He clapped Pete on the shoulder and headed back towards the base. The tension in him was gone, he felt… Was it happiness?

“Glad to!” Pete called after him. 

The work continued. Once the base was stripped of everything important, they were ready to be on their way. Pete lingered in his quarters, staring at the now empty room. He hadn’t been there long, but he had fond memories. He ran a hand along the wall, wanting to memorize the texture. He was starting to feel nervous. Everyone had been accepting so far, but that didn’t mean the trend would continue. 

He looked up to see Patrick in the doorway, and he smiled. “Sorry, just… I’m ready.” 

“It’s okay, I get it. I kinda did the same thing last night,” Patrick told him. He stepped close to Pete, reaching for his hand. Pete took it and squeezed. 

“Ready to head back into the fray?” 

“Are you?” 

Pete stopped at that, looking at Patrick. He wanted to immediately agree, but he was still hesitant. He muttered, “I’m worried.” 

“I know,” said Patrick. He kissed Pete’s cheek. “It’ll be okay, Pete. General Organa’s tough but fair. She’ll see you’ve changed.” 

“What if I haven’t though?” Pete asked, not meeting Patrick’s eyes. That was his deepest fear. That he hadn’t changed, he was the same old monster he had been. A rancor in nerf’s clothes. 

“Then why’d you distract the pirates?” 

Pete lifted his head. “What?” 

“You didn’t need to do that,” Patrick said with a shrug. “You could have done something worse. Messed with their minds, made them kill each other or themselves. You didn’t even have to leave the base. I would have gotten the turbolaser up and running before they brought down the shield. Instead, you threw yourself headfirst into danger.” 

Pete winced, and said, “It made sense at the time?” 

“You’re not a bad guy, Pete. At least not anymore,” Patrick said. His hand cupped the side of Pete’s face, and he was smiling. “I’ve got faith in you. You’ve changed, I see it, they’ll see it too.” 

“I hope you’re right.” Pete kissed him, and they left the base hand in hand. 

They were given separate quarters on the ship, which didn’t surprise Pete. Though what did was that he was sharing quarters with Brendon. 

“Let me guess, I drew the short straw?” Pete asked.

“We didn’t draw straws,” Brendon replied with a grin. Pete laughed and dumped his things on the bunk.

“So how long are we gonna be on this trip?” 

Brendon shrugged. “About 20 hours. We’re out in the middle of nowhere.” 

“So you’ve been to this place before?” 

“Yeah, and it’s pretty great. You’re gonna love it.” 

Pete flopped onto his bunk, and he could sense Brendon’s stare. He asked, “What?”

“Why didn’t you come back?” Brendon asked. That sadness was clinging to him again, and it made Pete’s stomach ache. 

He rolled on to his side so he was looking at Brendon. “Come back?”

“To Corellia,” he said. 

He shrugged and sat up. “It’s not like I had a choice. Snoke would never have allowed it. I’d like to go back, at least to see my family.” He felt a spike of grief, and Pete’s head shot up. Brendon’s expression was guilty, and Pete asked, “What?” 

“Nothing!” Brendon said it too fast, it was far from subtle. 

“What is it, Brendon?”

“It’s… I thought someone had told you, and I didn’t want to be the one to do it.” 

Pete had a sinking feeling in his heart. It was all over Brendon’s face, and he whispered, “No.” 

Brendon gulped.

“My parents?” He nodded. “Andrew?” Another nod. “Hillary?” Brendon nodded again. 

He wanted to scream. He wanted to tear the ship apart. He wanted to let his rage burn through the galaxy. Pete had his problems with his family, but he still loved them, and he’d wanted to see them again. He wanted to show them that he could be good. He could be what they’d always hoped. And now they wouldn’t because they were gone. 

Pete was so close to letting it drag him down. But he could feel Luke, he could hear him calling Pete. “Don’t give in, Pete!” But that wasn’t all he heard. Patrick’s soft words from only hours before. “You’re not a bad guy.” He took a deep breath, remembering one of the exercises he’d been taught. He needed to focus, not let his rage control him. 

It took longer than he would have liked, and he was seeing red the entire time. When he came to his senses, it was to Brendon looking pale and frightened. Pete could hardly blame him, and he said, “I’m sorry.” 

“No, uh… It’s all good?” Brendon offered him a hesitant smile. He was afraid, but Pete could sense hope in him. 

There were tears on Pete’s cheek, and he wiped them away. “How did it happen?” 

“They were on Hosnian Prime,” he replied. 

“That’s… I am so stupid,” said Pete. He got to his feet and said, “That’s why it felt so intense! It wasn’t just the loss of those people, it was my family too! I felt them die, and I was too wrapped up in the Dark Side to realize it! Fuck!” He sighed, and let himself fall back onto the bunk again. 

“I’m so sorry,” Brendon told him. The fear in him was subsiding, which was a good thing. 

“Not your fault, Bren. Thank you though, for telling me.” He looked over at him and added, “I’m sorry too, it must have been difficult keeping that to yourself. Why didn’t you say anything when you guys first got to Lyursa?” 

He frowned at him. “I’d just gotten you back, I didn’t want to ruin it. I thought Poe or Vicky would tell you.” 

“And you were afraid to say anything because you didn’t know what I’d do,” Pete concluded. Brendon winced but nodded. “That’s fair. I mean I can’t blame you.” 

“Are you okay?” He asked, and Pete shook his head. 

“No, I’m not. Uh… I gotta walk a bit. I’ll see you later.” 

“Yeah, okay.” 

Pete left the room and wandered the halls of the ship. It was a Corellian cruiser. Not particularly large but there were so many of them they worked well for blending in. He didn’t run into anyone, as those who weren’t on duty had gone to their quarters to sleep. It occurred to Pete that it was pretty late. 

He could feel sleep clawing at him, but he was too grief-stricken to try. He knew if he did sleep, he would have nightmares. And he knew what those nightmares would be about. Pete shouldn’t have been surprised that he found himself outside Patrick’s room. He stared at the door, wondering if this was a good idea. Patrick was happy, he was hopeful, he didn’t need to put up with Pete’s grief. He’d nearly convinced himself to leave again when the door opened. 

“Pete?” He said, adjusting his spectacles. 

“Hey,” he replied. It was hard to talk past the lump in his throat. 

“Are you okay?” 

He shook his head, and asked, “Can I come in?” 

Patrick stepped aside, and Pete entered. He saw the other bunk was empty, and at Pete’s questioning glance, said, “I’m rooming with Joe, but he’s on watch right now. What’s wrong?” 

“I had a conversation with Brendon,” he muttered. Instead of making a joke, like Pete would have, Patrick waited. He knew Pete so well already, all he had to do was wait and Pete would blurt it out. “He said my family was in the Hosnian System.”

“Oh… Oh, Pete.” He pulled Pete into a tight hug, saying, “I’m so sorry.” 

Pete inhaled and squeezed back, letting the tears flow. Patrick didn’t offer comforting words or empty platitudes. Instead, he pulled Pete over to the bed. They curled up together, and Pete cried silently into his shoulder. Patrick stroked his hair, holding him close. He even sang, in the hopes that it would help. Patrick held him until Pete couldn’t fight it anymore, he fell asleep.

* * *

“Pete, c’mon get up.” 

Pete groaned but yawned. He cracked an eye open to see Patrick hovering over him, and he grumbled, “Time is it?” 

“We’re almost there. Come on get up.” 

Pete nodded and rolled out of bed. Patrick was dressed and annoyingly awake, which Pete wasn’t sure he could forgive. The previous night came back to him, and he felt a swelling of grief. He closed his eyes and calmed himself. Patrick held a mug out to him, and Pete sighed at the smell of fresh caf. “You’re the best boyfriend ever.”

“Why thank you,” he said and chuckled. “Come on get up.” 

They left the room, and Patrick led Pete to the bridge. Poe was in the command chair, giving orders to a couple of the pilots. They were dropping out of hyperspace, and Pete said, “It is so early.” 

“You’ve been asleep for most of the trip,” Patrick pointed out. 

“I slept a whole day? How am I not starving?” Pete muttered.

“I dunno but we’ll get you something to eat when we land,” he replied. 

They were coming up on the planet, and Pete made a face. It was a planet that wasn’t going to win any beauty contests that was for sure. He asked, “Where the hell are we?” 

“It’s called Praxiantis,” Patrick told him. “The whole planet is covered in obsidian. No ores, no vegetation, no water or other resources. It looks like a dead rock.” 

“Super,” Pete said with disdain and Patrick rolled his eyes.

“It’s the perfect cover, the First Order would never look twice at a place like this. The Resistance has made it habitable,” Patrick explained. 

“You guys are so resourceful, no wonder the First Order keeps underestimating you.” 

Patrick took his hand and gave a gentle squeeze. “Underestimating us. You’re part of the Resistance now.” 

“That's not confirmed yet. We'll see how long that promise lasts,” Pete muttered. 

Patrick frowned, but didn’t respond. The ship couldn’t land as it was too large. They were ferried over in smaller transports. The cruiser would hide in a nearby gas giant. Pete had to admit, that was pretty damned clever. As they approached the base, he felt a spike of fear. He knew what Patrick’s feelings were, and what he was told about being part of the Resistance. He had no guarantee that would still hold up once he was on the base. 

That they were greeted by several techs instead of soldiers did ease his fears somewhat. Though they returned fast enough when he saw FN-2187. They’d never known each other personally, but the stormtrooper would know who Pete was. They paused a few feet away from each other, with Patrick standing between them like a referee. 

“Kaos Ren,” he greeted, his expression stony. 

“FN-2187,” Pete replied. “Though, it’s Finn now, right?” 

“It is.” His expression didn’t change. 

“I'm Pete,” he said. 

He sensed Poe approaching, and felt a flood of relief from both of them. Pete managed to keep from grinning. Oh, this was going to be fun. Poe walked past Pete, and Finn’s entire cool demeanor dropped. They hugged, and Poe asked, “You okay?”

“We were worried,” Finn told him. 

“You’re always worried,” Poe teased, then looked at Pete and Patrick. Pete knew that Poe wasn’t stupid, and he’d have to be to miss the tension in the air. “Corporal Stump vouched for him, he’s all right.” 

“You sure it’s not some mind trick?” Finn asked.

“First off, rude,” Pete said. “Second, they don’t work on Patrick.” 

“He tried to mind trick you?” Poe exclaimed.

Patrick grinned. “I dared him to, I knew it wouldn’t work.” 

“You crazy little--” Poe pulled Patrick into a hug and gave him noogies, making Patrick laugh and shove him away. Pete could still sense apprehension, but that wasn’t surprising. It wasn’t as though Pete had earned their trust. He would have to do so. 

“The General’s waiting for you,” Finn said to Poe, then looked at Patrick. “You, too.” 

Patrick gulped. “Uh, she wants to see me?” 

“Right away.” 

He looked at Pete, who shrugged and said, “Go on, she’s probably got super secret stuff to tell you. Or that you have to tell her. Whatever.” 

“I’ll make sure he gets settled in, meets everyone,” Finn said, and Pete could feel the sincerity in there. 

“Well, okay.” Patrick kissed Pete’s cheek, and he and Poe walked away. 

Pete watched them go, then felt Finn staring at him. He turned and asked, “What?” 

“You’re wearing my jacket,” he said. 

Pete looked down at the brown leather, then back at Finn. “I thought Poe said this was his jacket?” 

“It was, he gave it to me. I left it on the _Supremacy_ while we were on our mission.” 

“Good thing you did, would have been pretty awkward to keep going around in Sith robes.” Pete stripped the jacket off and offered it to Finn. He sensed the relief in Finn when he touched the leather, and Pete knew he’d done the right thing. 

He slung the jacket over his shoulder and said, “I’ll show you where you’re staying.” 

It was a very comprehensive tour. Finn knew the ins and outs of the entire base. Quite a few people seemed to know Finn judging by the frequent greetings. It made Pete smile. “Looks like you’ve done well since you left.” 

“You too,” Finn replied, which made Pete raise an eyebrow. 

“How do you know?” 

Finn shrugged. “I don’t see a lot of Knights of Ren dating.” 

“They don’t, it’s not allowed,” Pete pointed out. 

They’d reached the barracks section, and Pete was shown his quarters. He dumped his bag of borrowed clothes and data pads on the bed and saw that it was far too large for one person. “Who am I rooming with?” 

“Corporal Stump,” Finn replied. “The General thought it best to keep you two together.” 

That made Pete pause. It was a touching gesture, and also a smart one. They didn’t know Pete and couldn’t trust him yet. Once they established Patrick was still himself they’d have him keeping an eye on Pete. He understood the logistical side of it, but mostly, he was happy that he was rooming with Patrick. 

“Thank you,” he said and meant it. 

“You’re welcome. We’ve got one more stop,” Finn said, and Pete followed him out. 

They went to what Pete found to be a communal area. There were only two people there. One was a tall skinny guy with dark hair who appeared to be asleep. The other was the girl from the ship, Rey. She was reading, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear when she looked up at them. She was much younger than Pete had thought, and she smiled at Finn. 

“Rey, this is K--Pete,” he said, gesturing. 

Her gaze turned to him, and Pete could feel a slight probing. He let her poke at him, and said, “Nice to meet you.” 

“Haven’t we met before?” She asked with a raised eyebrow.

“I was wearing a mask at the time,” he said, waving a hand in front of his face. “I wasn’t sure if you’d recognize me.” 

Rey stood and moved closer to Pete. The intensity of her power was startling, and it took a lot to keep Pete from gasping. He didn’t move, holding still as he felt her clumsy but strong probe. When she stopped, he sighed. She had the kind of power that made it almost difficult to breathe being around her.

“He’s all right, Finn,” she said to him, and Pete felt Finn relax. 

“Good. I’ve seen you in action, you know.” 

Pete raised an eyebrow. “Really? When?” 

“The training grounds, I saw you and Kylo Ren spar.” 

“Ugh, don’t remind me. He always does it shirtless and it’s so gross.” Pete made a face at the memory. He was pretty sure he knew which occasion Finn was talking about, after all, it had only been six months ago. 

“Shirtless?” Rey asked, tone confused and a little grossed out. 

“It’s a power move,” Pete replied. “Kylo thrives off of pain and confusion, in others and himself. Ripping his shirt off and demanding we spar with live lightsabers is a hell of a move, believe me.” 

“Who won?”

Finn smiled at that. “He did,” he gestured to Pete. 

“To be fair though Kylo did hit me pretty hard once I won the match,” Pete reminded him. He still had the scars on his leg to prove it. Kylo Ren was a sore loser. 

“You must be a great fighter.” She sounded almost impressed, and Pete wanted to laugh. 

“Nah, I just out thought him. He’s more for using power and strength than strategy or honing his skills.” 

“That sounds like Kylo,” Rey said. She looked Pete over once again, and added, “It was nice to meet you, Pete.” 

“You too,” Pete replied, recognizing a dismissal when he saw it. Finn had already headed over to the table and was eager to speak with Rey. Pete showed himself out, but not before shooting the “sleeping” guy a nasty look. He saw a tiny quirk of a smile, and Pete rolled his eyes. 

He ended up wandering the base. Everyone else was busy, and Pete didn’t want to bother them. He got a few odd looks, as the rumor mill ran fast. No one stopped him or threatened him, which was a good feeling. He was beginning to relax, though there was an undercurrent of dread. 

After all, it was only a matter of time. Someone in the Resistance might be like Patrick’s former comrades. They could get it in their heads that the First Order was too powerful. Trading Pete for thousands of credits and a clean record would be quite appealing. He didn’t like having that thought, but he couldn’t seem to help himself. 

Pete took a deep breath, then headed for a more private area. There was an atrium with a little garden, something that had existed before the base did. It was hot out, so most of the personnel were inside where the environmental controls kept it a nice 23C. Pete didn’t mind the heat, as he felt the sun soaking into his skin, he relaxed. 

He settled on a bench near some flower bushes. Pete had no idea what kind of flowers they were, but they were a riot of colors. Blue, green, pink, orange, yellow, red, purple… They were beautiful. Pete realized they were actually changing. The pattern went in a line, as though the colors were traveling a circuit amongst the blossoms. It was one of the loveliest plants he’d ever seen. 

“Okay…” He said to himself and crossed his legs. He closed his eyes and opened himself to the Force. 

There was a deluge of feelings. Emotions, thoughts, energy from the people inside. But it was becoming easier to move past that. He could sense the Force all around him, and he let it flow through. As he did, he got the sense someone was near him. He didn’t have to open his eyes to know it was Luke. 

“You’re handling this well,” he said, and Pete felt him move closer.

“It’s still fucked up my family is dead and I didn’t know it,” Pete replied in a bitter tone. 

“There were many who died that day.”

“I didn’t stop it.” Pete sighed. “I could have stopped it.” 

“How would you have stopped it?” He could hear a gentleness in Master Skywalker's tone, but it was also mocking. 

Pete sat in silence for several minutes, trying to think of something. In the end, he sighed and said, “Okay, I couldn’t have stopped it.” 

“Don’t let the past rule you,” said Skywalker. 

“I should be punished,” Pete replied. “I’ve caused so much pain.” 

“They’re aware of that more than you are. These are good people, Pete. They believe in second chances. They’ll give you one, and you have to make it count.” 

Pete opened his eyes and turned his head to look at Master Skywalker. “Are they…” It was so hard for him to ask, but he wanted to know. 

“They’re one with the Force now,” Luke told him. 

“Can I see them?” 

He shook his head. “No. I’m sorry, Pete. It’s not possible.” 

“It was worth a try.” He felt like he was going to cry again. Skywalker was starting to fade, and Pete wanted to ask him to stay. He knew it was ridiculous after all, Master Skywalker could only manifest himself for so long. 

“Take this time to mourn them,” he said. “Then fight for them.” And with that, he was gone. 

Pete sniffed and didn’t hold back his tears. He was shaking a little, but he knew that Master Skywalker was right. He would grieve, and then he would fight. And stop Kylo Ren. He meditated further and was out in the atrium for hours. 

He was running over some mental exercises when he felt someone approaching. He smiled a little and said, “So how did the meeting with the General go?” 

“She hugged me.” Patrick sat next to Pete. “What are you doing?” 

“Attempting to make myself one with the Force and its will. But then I got distracted so now I’m doing calming techniques.” 

Patrick laughed. “I have some news for you.” 

“Is it good news?” 

“It’s indifferent news. The General is pretty busy so she won’t be able to see you for a while. But you’re to have the run of the base.” 

Pete nodded. “She’s trying to think of a solution to having me join the Resistance. One that won’t alienate the people who want me executed.” 

“You know, you’re a lot smarter than you look.” 

“I’d hope so since I look like an idiot.” His eyes opened, and he smiled at Patrick. 

“No you don’t,” he said, brushing some of Pete’s hair away from his face. 

That gave Pete an idea, and he was grinning. “Wanna help me look even dumber?” 

“No,” he said, frowning. 

Pete wouldn’t be dissuaded. He stood and pulled Patrick to his feet. “C’mon, it’s an awesome idea! And you can help me!” 

Patrick groaned, but let Pete drag him along. They went to find Vicky, as Pete was sure if anyone could find what he was looking for, it was her. He told her his request, and while she raised an eyebrow, she got him what he requested. When Patrick saw it, he rolled his eyes.

“No.” 

“Come on, it will look great!” 

“It’s gonna look dumb.” 

“I promise you it won’t, I’m gonna look fantastic. And you’re gonna help!”

“I am not going to help you with this and I wish I could talk you out of it!” 

Pete pouted at him, but then said, “I’m still gonna do it. Could you at least help me cut my hair?” 

“Fine,” he replied. 

They headed back to their quarters, and Pete remembered. “We’re sharing a bed.” 

“I know, Poe told me about the room assignments.” He was very calm about it, and matter of fact.

“That’s okay, right? I mean, I know we’re not, uh… Intimate yet.” Why was this making Pete so anxious?

It didn’t seem to be affecting Patrick, who said, “It’s okay. We’re both adults, Pete. And if I didn’t want to share a bed with you I’d ask for a room change.” He smiled and nudged Pete with his shoulder. “Besides, I liked sleeping with you.” 

“Yeah?” 

“Yeah.” 

That made Pete grin. 

They got back, and Pete hit the refresher station. He was in there a long time, but to be fair it was difficult to take the enzymes and apply the solution. When he came back out, it was to find Patrick was talking to Aythree. When he looked up, his eyes widened. 

“Okay, so, you don’t look terrible.” 

“Aw, thanks sweetie,” Pete said, making a kissy face at him. 

Patrick snorted, and asked, “How short do you want your hair?” 

“Out of my face,” Pete replied, and Patrick shrugged. 

He had Pete sit on a stool, which had a cloth rolled out underneath it. Pete shivered a little when Patrick’s fingers slipped through his hair. Patrick said, “I should warn you, I don’t have a lot of experience with this.” 

“It’s okay, it doesn’t have to be pretty just short.” 

Patrick got to work, snipping away at Pete’s hair. They didn’t talk, instead, Pete closed his eyes and let himself feel. Patrick was calm, he was… Happy. It wasn’t only being back with the Resistance. He could feel that Pete was making Patrick happy. It was a wonderful feeling, and it made Pete sigh. 

“Okay, you’re done. Go take a look while I clean up this mess.” 

Aythree tweeted and whistled at Pete approvingly, and he laughed. “Thanks, I hope it looks as good as you say it does.” 

Pete went back into the refresher and looked in the mirror. His hair was now blonde and cut very close to his head. There was a fringe of spikes on the top, and despite what Patrick said, it looked very good. He smiled, running his fingers through it. The enzymes and gel had done their work, Pete would be a blonde for at least a year. He skipped back into the room and said, “You, Patrick Stump, are a total genius!” 

Patrick was still cleaning up the hair, and he was blushing. “No, I’m not.”

“You are! I look fantastic! And it’s all thanks to you!” He pulled Patrick into a hug, and then said, “Dance with me!” 

“Are you--” Patrick was starting to protest, but Pete ignored him. He turned them about the room, laughing. Patrick had tried feebly to pull away but then accepted it. They did a few turns around the room, Aythree doing their best to dodge them. Finally, Pete stilled and was still laughing. 

He paused though, looking at Patrick. His cheeks were red, and he looked very annoyed. Patrick was fighting a smile. Pete pulled him into a kiss, and then muttered, “Thank you. Thank you so much.” 

“You’re welcome. Now can you let go of me? I need to clean up,” Patrick said. Pete shrugged and gestured with his hand, using the Force to tidy up what was left. Patrick stared at him, and Pete laughed again. Patrick's smile was indulgent and shook his head. “I’m happy you’re happy, but you’re ridiculous.” 

“I know I am,” he said. 

He felt good. He’d been saying for a while that he was turning over a new leaf, and now he felt like he was. Here he was, in the center of the Resistance, and things were changing. He had new clothes, a new appearance, and new friends. Best of all, he had Patrick, who was a grumpy little genius and also a total sweetheart. 

Pete could feel hope stirring inside himself, and for once, he wasn’t afraid to let it flourish.


	6. Chapter Six

Pete was watching people move around the base. More specifically, he was watching Poe, who was talking with some new recruits. They were gazing up at him with admiration, and something that Pete recognized. It was still admiration, but a different kind altogether. He laughed as one of the girls smiled wide at Poe as she asked him a question. Poe either didn’t notice the way she batted her lashes, or he didn’t care. 

“Wow…” Brendon sighed, leaning his head on the railing. They were on a walkway, seated on the edge with feet dangling in the air. “He’s so pretty.” 

Joe and Vicky were seated next to them, and Vicky said, “A face carved by angels.” 

“He’s so gorgeous it's unfair. I mean, I have curly hair too but I can’t make it look THAT good,” said Joe. 

They watched as Patrick jogged up to Poe, handing him something and talking. Poe laughed and gave Patrick a quick hug before turning back to the new recruits. Patrick gave them a small wave and walked off again. Pete groaned. “Look at Patrick, it’s like he doesn’t even notice!” 

“He has dicklomatic immunity to Poe’s man pretty charms,” Joe told him, making Pete snort and laugh. 

Vicky smirked a bit and said, “I heard a rumor about them.” 

Brendon, Pete, and Joe’s heads snapped to the side, looking at her with disbelief. Brendon was the first to speak. “What? What rumor?” 

“Oh I dunno, I don’t like to spread gossip,” Vicky said, and Joe laughed. 

“Liar! You are the second worse gossip in the Resistance!” 

Vicky made a mock offended face. “How dare you! ...Who’s the first?” 

“Gabe Saporta.” 

Vicky pursed her lips together. “Okay, that’s fair.” 

“Who’s Gabe Saporta?” Pete asked, and Brendon giggled.

“I’ll introduce you later. C’mon Vicky, get to the gossip!” 

She grinned and scooted closer, gesturing for the others to do the same. Once they had she muttered, “So rumor has it, Patrick and Poe used to date.” 

“No!” Brendon gasped. 

“Who told you that?” Pete demanded. 

“Marie! She knows everything!” 

“Oh, Marie! Yeah if she said it, it’s true.” Joe said with a nod. 

“You’re only saying that because you’re sweet on her,” Pete said with annoyance and Joe laughed. 

“Yeah okay but still, she’s great, and she wouldn’t make something like that up.” 

“I wonder why Patrick never said anything?” Brendon wondered. 

“Because we’ve got more important things to do than gossip.”

All four of them jumped and scrambled to stand and turn around. Patrick was standing there with his arms crossed, giving them a sour look. Vicky and Joe looked a bit guilty, but Brendon wasn’t ashamed. 

“So you did date Poe! What was it like? Was it dreamy?” 

“I wanna make something clear. I, in no way, ever want to discuss my love life with you,” Patrick replied. “C’mon guys, I’m sure you can make yourselves useful somewhere.” 

Joe and Vicky walked off, taking Brendon with them, who was pouting. 

Pete stepped closer and said, “You dated Poe Dameron? What was that like? I mean, I know he’s prettier than me so…” 

“Oh for crying out loud,” Patrick said and walked away. Pete jogged to catch up. 

“What happened though? I mean, not only is he gorgeous he’s a pretty good guy.”

“I’d rather not discuss it,” he replied. 

Pete frowned at him, then tried to imitate Poe’s puppy dog look. “Please?” 

Patrick glanced at him, but rather than being moved, he busted up laughing. Pete scowled and Patrick laughed harder. “I’m sorry! It’s just, you look so stupid when you do that.” 

“Stupid enough to tell me what happened?” 

“Are you jealous or something?” Patrick asked. He was still giggling. 

“Yeah jealous of you,” Pete admitted, and it made Patrick’s laughter subside. 

“It was a mutual thing. He was about to go on a dangerous mission, one that he might not come back from. And I was being transferred to Lyursa. We both felt that it wasn’t in our best interests to continue the relationship.” He reached out and squeezed Pete’s hand. “We’re still friends but it’s over.” 

“I figured, he doesn’t get all weird over you like he does around Finn,” said Pete, and they continued to walk. 

“Weird about Finn?” Patrick asked and Pete nodded. 

“Yeah, he’s very protective of him, and he gets kind of jealous of the time Finn spends with that one mechanic. What’s her name? Rose? Anyway, I think Poe likes Finn but hasn’t asked him out yet, or maybe he won’t, I’m not sure.” 

Patrick sighed. “He won’t, Poe doesn’t like to make the first move, at least when it comes to dating. You wouldn’t think it but he’s actually pretty shy in that regard.” 

“Does this mean you had to ask him out?” Pete was, for some reason, delighted with the idea. 

“Sure did. I was a nervous wreck and thought for sure he’d say no. Instead, he accepted and we went for caf.” 

“That’s adorable,” Pete said and Patrick smiled. 

At that moment, Lt. Connix walked up. She was looking between the two of them, but her eyes settled on Pete. She said, “The General is requesting to speak with you.” 

Pete gulped. This was what he’d been dreading since they came to the base. But it looked like it was time to face his fears. He kissed Patrick’s cheek and said, “I’ll see you later,” then followed after Lt. Connix. He did his best to stand up straight, and not show any of the fear that he felt. 

It wasn’t long before Pete found himself in the General’s chambers. He’d been expecting to be led to the war room. He was told to wait in the parlor, and then Lt. Connix left. Pete was too nervous to sit and wait, so he wandered the room. Like the rest of the base, it was carved from stone. There was a balcony that overlooked the atrium, and he wanted to get a closer look. But Pete remained inside.

He was tracing a pattern in the obsidian when he felt her approaching. She wasn’t cloaking her presence or her strength in the Force. She wasn’t advertising it either. She wasn't throwing it out like a warning signal to lower species like Kylo Ren would have done. Pete knew when she had entered the room, and dreaded facing her. 

Once he did, he was surprised. General Organa, while advanced in years, looked to be as bright and cunning as ever. She was looking Pete over, evaluating him without a word. He could feel the slight touch of her through the Force and didn’t try to shield himself or block her probe. 

“General,” Pete greeted and bowed to her. 

“Thank you for coming,” she replied and gestured for him to sit down. She took a seat in an armchair, while Pete sat on the couch across from her. He hesitated, unsure if he should speak, and even if he did, what would he say? Leia could see the conflict in him, and she offered him a soft smile. “Relax, I’m not here to grill you. I’m sure that Commander Dameron and Lieutenant Stump have already done that for me.” 

“The latter more than the former,” Pete admitted. He could see she was fighting not to grin. 

“Lt. Stump tends towards caution, more so than Commander Dameron.” Here, her eyes were alight with mischief. “He must have given you a hell of a time.” 

“Putting it mildly.” He grinned. “When did you promote him?” 

“This morning. I would have done it sooner but he’s been rather busy,” she said. Leia leaned forward, hands clasped together. “He’s told me all about you.” 

“I bet my mom told you more,” he said. Pete thought that would make things awkward, but Leia’s expression didn’t change. 

“She did.” 

“Was it quick at least? When she and Dad…” He couldn’t finish the sentence. 

“It was,” she assured him. Then she did something unexpected. She leaned forward and took Pete’s hand. “I’m so sorry.” 

Pete could feel the sorrow swelling, but he didn’t cry. “Me too.” 

“I don’t know that this would be a consolation, but Dale never stopped believing in you. She’d be proud to see you today,” Leia said to him. 

“I don’t know about that,” Pete mumbled, wiping at his eye. He didn’t want to cry in front of her, not Leia Organa. 

“They both would be proud,” she assured him. Leia gave his hand a gentle squeeze. 

Pete was crying by this time, and he said, “I wish I could have told them how sorry I am.” 

“They knew. Pete, there’s a reason I asked you here.” She squeezed his hand one more time, then pulled away. She pulled something out of her pocket. “Your parents recorded a message for you before they died.”

Pete’s entire world stopped for a moment, looking at the little disk that Leia held. He still had a lot of unresolved issues with his parents, and he wasn’t so sure about watching the recording. But he took it from her and said, “Thank you. You, uh… I’m sorry about your son.” Then wished he hadn’t said it. 

Leia didn’t look offended. He could sense pain, but also resolve. “So am I. Pete, I want you to know, you’re welcome with the Resistance.” 

“How can I be?” Pete implored. “I’ve killed people.” 

“So have I,” she countered, which made Pete pause. “I’m not dismissing your crimes. I’m aware of them. But I’m also aware of your remorse, and your desire to make amends. Which is why I’m going to offer you a deal.” 

“What kind of deal?” 

“You’ll be joining the Resistance, and working under Rey’s supervision. You’re to help her locate potential Force users, and if necessary, help her train them. This is all probationary. If we suspect your loyalty, or that you’ve turned back to the dark side, then we’ll have no choice but to imprison you.” Her eyes were hard as she said this but then softened again. “Once your probationary period is over, you’ll be free to either stay with the Resistance or go your own way.” 

Pete knew it was more than fair, especially considering that not everyone in the Resistance was a fan of him. It was the best way to make amends, but he only had one question. “Can I stay with Patrick?” 

At this, Leia gave him an amused look. “Yes, you can stay with Patrick.” 

“Then I totally accept. Thank you for this chance,” he said. 

“Welcome to the Resistance,” she told him, and Pete grinned.

“Thank you, ma’am.” 

Pete was trying hard to get into the swing of things. But it was odd being on a military base and not actually being in the military. Everyone else had ranks, official duties, things like that. Pete and Rey were sort of the odd ones out and left to their own devices. 

Pete wasn’t surprised that Rey didn’t immediately warm up to him. How could she? He’d been the bad guy, and given what he’d heard of her background, she was used to being independent. He didn’t press it, and he thought Rey would appreciate that. 

He’d jokingly said to Patrick one day he felt he should be a captain. Patrick had rolled his eyes and said, “That’s the last thing we need.” There was an affectionate smile there, so the comment didn’t sting. Aside from evenings spent in their quarters, he and Patrick didn’t see much of each other. 

Patrick was busy with several projects. Which from what Pete could gather involved a lot of research and development. He would come back to their quarters smelling like hyperfuel and engine grease. And always with a huge smile on his face.

They still made time to have their little date nights, though it was hard to find privacy for those. The base housed a few hundred people. There was always someone barging into their rooms with one urgent task or another. If they were a little further along in their relationship, then people would have walked in on something awkward.

Normally, Pete would be chomping at the bit. Patrick was hot, sweet, generally the best guy out there. But their physical relationship hadn’t escalated beyond hand-holding and kissing. Patrick wasn’t ready for more, Pete could sense that. And to tell the truth, Pete wasn’t either. 

He hadn’t been with anyone in years, not since before he went to the Jedi Academy. He’d had something of a crush on Ben Solo when they were training together. Once Pete started walking the path to the Dark Side, that was pretty much done.

It felt right to take it slow in the physical aspect when in the emotional they had gone so fast it made Pete’s head spin.

As it was, while Patrick was busy, Pete wasn’t exactly idle himself. Reports came in from different sectors of the galaxy. People who wanted to join the Resistance, and those who might have Force abilities. It gave everyone hope, though he could tell Rey was starting to get discouraged. 

They’d met with eight candidates and not a single one was Force-sensitive. Two were outright charlatans and she hadn’t taken that well, not that Pete could blame her. There was a lot of pressure on her to reform the Jedi Order, but that was hard if they couldn’t find students.

The other problem too was that Rey had little training. She was a prodigy, and figured things out so fast it sometimes made his head spin. Pete wasn’t sure it was his place to tell her what to do, so he left her to her own devices. It was when she came to him one afternoon with a determined look on her face, he thought he’d been wrong.

“How long were you under Master Skywalker’s instruction?” She asked.

“Hello to you too,” Pete replied, sitting up. He’d been lounging in the common area, reading one of the books Rey had “rescued” from Luke’s island. He was certain she’d stolen them, but he wouldn’t ask. They were pretty boring but he needed to feel useful.

“Answer the question,” she said, and Pete shrugged.

“A year or two,” he replied.

“Can you teach me what he taught you?”

At that, Pete closed the book. His brow knit in confusion as he asked, “You want me to teach you?”

“There’s only so much I can learn on my own,” Rey said, and Pete can feel how much it’s taking out of her to ask for help.

Pete felt like an idiot, and kind of an ass. Rey may not have asked for help, but she needed it. He leaned forward and said, “I’m not a great teacher, I’m not even a good one. But I can show you what Master Skywalker taught me, and a thing or two I’ve picked up along the way. Not all of it is useful unless you want to become a Sith Lord, though.”

Rey smiled at him. “I think I’d like to avoid that.”

“Yeah, me too,” he replied, which made her laugh.

“Ah, a laughter like sunshine, I knew today was going to be a good day.”

Pete looked up to see the tall gangly guy from before, the one who’d pretended to be sleeping when he first met Rey. He had a sly smile on his face and was giving Rey an interested look. “Hey babe, how’s things?”

Rey rolled her eyes and said, “They’re fine, Gabriel, thank you.”

“You can call me Gabe,” he said and strolled over to them. He smirked at Pete and added, “And you can call me anytime you like.”

“Call you what?” Pete shot back, smiling too. “Rude? Because you know, eavesdropping is very rude.”

Gabe faked shock, his jaw dropping and eyes widening. He delicately placed a hand on his own chest and took a step back. “Are you accusing me of spying?”

“I said eavesdropping,” Pete pointed out. He could sense amusement from both Gabe and Rey, so he continued. “If the shoe fits.”

“Why I never!” Gabe said, stamping his foot indignantly. That was too much for Pete, he busted up. Rey was laughing too and decided they’d had enough fun.

“Pete this is Gabe Saporta. He’s been helping the Resistance.”

They shook hands, and Pete had a sudden tingling feeling. It was as though he were standing next to an electrical socket. Interesting.

“Doing what?” Pete asked.

Gabe smiled. “I’m an entrepreneur.”

“No offense but you sound like a con artist,” Pete told him, which made Gabe grin wider.

“I suppose sometimes I am. Han Solo was a con artist so I take that as a compliment,” said Gabe and Pete snorted.

“He was a smuggler,” Pete replied.

“Think of me as a procurer then,” Gabe told him. “I obtain things others may need. Things like equipment, information, or in the case of some very pretty dresses they never wear.”

Rey frowned at him. “You haven’t brought me a dress.”

“Not you, but I could bring you one if you like. I mean Vicky,” he clarified, and that made Pete laughed. He did like this guy. He then remembered the name and snapped his fingers, pointing at Gabe. “You’re the gossip she was supposed to introduce me to!”

“My reputation precedes me!” Gabe declared, nudging Rey and winking at her. She smacked his arm, but it was playful.

“What are you doing here? I thought you were going to try a run for the core worlds,” she said.

“Found something interesting for Rose to tear apart. I thought I should come back right away,” he replied and Pete raised an eyebrow.

“Who’s Rose?”

“Our resident genius,” Gabe told him and that put Pete off. If anyone was a genius, it was Patrick. Gabe seemed to pick up on that, and he said, “Oh, have I offended you?”

“He’s seeing Patrick Stump,” Rey explained and Gabe’s eyebrows shot up.

“Really?! Well, that explains a lot, I did think he was getting a little less grumpy.”

Rey was saying something else, but Pete was staring at Gabe. There was something about him that seemed different. He reached out with his feelings and wasn’t surprised at what he found. He tapped Rey on the shoulder and said, “I need to speak with you.”

“Trying to steal her away from me already?” Gabe asked teasingly.

“She’s not an object,” he replied and tugged Rey out of the room. She was frowning at him and he said, “I think Gabe might be Force-sensitive.”

“What makes you think so?” She asked.

“I’ve got a feeling,” Pete replied. “It’s not strong, not like with you, but there’s a chance. We could test him.”

Rey seemed to consider that and glanced back into the room. She nodded and said, “We should. How do we do it?”

“I was trying to get a sense of him earlier but he didn’t feel anything,” Pete said. “But I’m not as powerful as you and I was being sneaky about it. I think if you did it if he’s Force-sensitive he’d feel it.”

“I don’t want to hurt him,” Rey said and Pete shook his head.

“You won’t. Reach out with your feelings and try to get a sense of Gabe, use a gentle touch but let him know you’re there. Think of how you run your hands through your hair, and how you punch someone. You want to base your probe off the former rather than the latter. Do you understand?”

Rey smiled, and Pete knew she’d gotten it. “All right, let’s try it.”

They re-entered the common room to see Gabe had picked up the book Pete had been reading. He was flipping through it and he said, “This is ancient!”

“Yeah it’s pretty old, it was written when the Jedi Order was first formed,” Pete told him.

Gabe was only half listening, and he sat down with the book. He gingerly turned the pages, as though afraid they’d turn to dust. Pete looked at Rey, who nodded and sat next to Gabe.

“Interested?” She asked, and Gabe nodded.

“Yeah, I mean I’ve always been pretty interested in the Jedi, ever since I was a kid,” he said. It was the first thing he’d said without charm or innuendo.

“Why’s that?” Pete asked. He moved to an armchair across from Gabe and Rey.

“Dunno was always kinda drawn to it,” Gabe muttered.

Pete looked at Rey, and he could sense she was reaching out. Pete was keeping himself well out of it, as he wanted to see how Rey followed directions. It turned out she followed them pretty well. There was none of the clumsy strength she’d exhibited upon meeting him. Instead, it was precise, holding her power back.

Gabe looked up and turned to stare at Rey. “Did you just touch me?”

“No,” she said, and he frowned further.

“Okay, what did you do?”

“She was testing you,” said Pete. “To see if you’re Force-sensitive.”

Gabe stared at them for a minute, then laughed, shaking his head. “Nah, I’m not Force sensitive. I mean it’s not like I’ve waved my hands and made people forget they saw me or something.”

“We have reason to believe you are,” Rey said to him.

“What’s the reason?”

“We can feel it,” Pete said and Gabe put the book down.

“Look if you guys are saying this to fuck with me? Not cool, okay?”

“We’re not, honestly we’re not,” Rey assured him.

“And you know it’s not all floating rocks and lightsabers,” Pete pointed out. “Ever manage to convince someone of a blatant lie? Or have a too good to be true turn at sabaac? Or even know something you shouldn’t about a total stranger?”

The last part had gotten Gabe’s attention. He murmured, “Not all the time.”

“But enough that it’s noticeable, isn’t it?” Rey asked.

“I thought I was smart, or lucky, or both,” he said.

“You can be both and still use the Force,” Pete said to him. 

Gabe frowned a little and asked, “How do I know for sure? Is there like a test I can take?”

“Yes, follow me,” Rey said, getting up. She looked at Pete before leaving the room, asking, “Are you coming?” 

“Gonna sit this one out,” he told her. Rey was in charge, and she knew Gabe better than Pete did. 

Gabe paused and turned to Pete. He took something out of his jacket pocket and tossed it to Pete, saying, “Make sure Rose gets this, okay? Since it sounds like I’m gonna be busy.” 

He caught it, and once Gabe and Rey left the room, he laughed. It was a small stuffed toy, that looked like a loth-cat. Pete chuckled and got to his feet, and left the common room. He went to the hangar where he found Vicky and asked her where to find Rose. 

She told him, and he was on his way. He realized about halfway to the repair bay he should have asked what she looked like since he had no idea.

Pete found himself wandering around. He was about to ask someone else for help when he heard his name called. He turned and saw Patrick waving to him. Pete grinned and went to him, pulling him into a hug. “How’s my favorite person in the galaxy today?” 

“Wishing you wouldn’t squeeze me so hard that I can’t breathe,” he groaned, and Pete laughed and let him go. “What brings you down here?”

“I’m looking for someone named Rose? I think she’s a mechanic or something,” he said, and Patrick smiled.

“You mean Rose Tico. She’s over this way,” he said and walked off with Pete following after. They arrived at the side of an X-Wing, and Pete could see a pair of short legs sticking out from under it. He heard something clatter, and Patrick said, “Hey, Rose!”

“Not now,” she replied in a clipped tone. Patrick took it in stride.

“You have a visitor.” 

There was an annoyed sigh, and she came out from under the fighter. “Patrick I have a million things to do, why--” She stopped though when she saw Pete. “Hi.” 

“Hi. Gabe told me to give this to you. He’s gonna be busy this afternoon so he can’t do it in person,” Pete told her, handing her the stuffed animal.

Rose took it and stared at it for a moment. She then did something completely unexpected. She took out a pocket knife and cut the button eyes off the toy. She was grinning as she slipped them into her pocket. She said, “He always thinks of the cleverest transportation methods.”

“What just happened?” Pete asked, confused. 

“They’re Lorrdian gemstones,” she told him.

Pete blinked, then snapped his fingers and said, “I’ve heard of those! You can upgrade a lightsaber with one! You’d be better able to predict your opponent’s attack!”

“They’re for Rey,” Rose said in the same clipped tone.

“Oh, she’s gonna have such a badass lightsaber with those!” Pete replied with a grin. He can understand Rose’s caution, after all, Rey was her friend and she didn’t know Pete at all.

“I don’t think she’s making one,” Patrick said, and Pete frowned.

“Hers got destroyed though didn’t it?”

“Yeah but I don’t think she knows how to make a lightsaber.”

Pete nodded then said, “Okay good point. I know there are instructions in the books she got from Master Skywalker. But they’re kinda weird and a little stupid.”

“Guess you’re gonna have to teach her,” Patrick pointed out and Pete shrugged.

“I’ll do what I can but I’m kind of a sucky teacher.”

Rose was still watching Pete, and she asked, “Are you?”

“I think I am, yeah. I tried to teach my brother how to tie his shoes once. He ended up getting stuck and I had to go get my mom.”

That made Rose and Patrick laugh, and Patrick asked, “How did he get stuck?” 

“He tied his finger to his shoe and managed to get his wrist caught in the laces when he tried to free himself.” Pete was smiling, but there was sadness there too. He’d never see his brother again, and it made his heartache. He pushed the pain away, to be dealt with later. He couldn’t wallow in it, especially not in front of a stranger. 

He could still feel Rose’s distrust, but he didn’t let it bother him. After all, he couldn’t win everyone over and Rose didn’t know Pete yet. As a matter of fact, he saw several people were glaring at him. One man made a shooting gesture at Pete, which wasn’t hard to understand. 

He could also sense that Patrick saw the gesture. He picked up on the hostility, and he bristled at it. Pete took his hand and said, “I need to borrow you for a little bit. Do you mind?” He asked Rose.

“Not at all,” she replied and went back to work on the X-Wing.

Pete dragged Patrick away, and once they were out of earshot he said, “Calm down.”

“Don’t tell me to calm down,” Patrick snapped. “They shouldn’t be acting like that.”

“Hey, remember, they don’t know me. And I was an assassin for a living. You can’t blame them. I’m kind of surprised that hasn’t happened more often.” Patrick was still fuming, so Pete kept tugging him along. “C’mon, let’s go outside.”

“Ugh, _why?_ ” Patrick whined. “It’s so hot out there!”

“It won’t kill you to get some fresh air,” Pete said, rolling his eyes.

“Yes it will, it will kill me and you’d be a murderer.”

Pete paused at that, frowning. “I am a murderer.”

Patrick winced, and said, “I’m sorry, I was just joking around. I didn’t mean—“

“Save it, I know what you meant. I’m not angry,” said Pete. He pulled Patrick into a hug and muttered, “Sometimes I feel like I don’t deserve you.”

“Yeah? Tough, you’ve got me,” he whispered and squeezed Pete back. “I love you.”

He gasped and pulled away from Patrick to look him in the face. “Are you serious?”

“Yes, dumbass, I love you,” he repeated, rolling his eyes.

“I love you too, even if you think I’m a dumbass,” Pete said and kissed Patrick. “C’mon, let’s go outside and play.”

“What are you, twelve?”

“You wish! C’mon see if you can catch me!” And Pete ran outside.

Patrick indulged him, and they played a game of tag like they were kids. As Patrick laughed, the sunlight shining in his strawberry blonde hair, Pete’s heart swelled.

He was beautiful, intelligent, compassionate, and talented. He was exactly the kind of person that Pete used to dream about marrying someday. And Patrick loved him. Maybe he did have a shot at redemption after all.


	7. Chapter Seven

Pete was in the mess hall, looking through one of the books Rey had given him. He hadn’t seen these in years, and he’d never read them back then. He had to admit, they were… Boring as hell. He turned a page, trying to be careful with it because it was so damned old. He was learning about some interesting techniques. He didn’t know how to turn this into anything he could teach. He was glad he wasn’t expected to do the instruction.

When he heard someone sit across from him, he looked up and was surprised to see Rey. He should have felt her sooner but realized that she’d been blocking him. “You’re getting better at that,” he told her and closed the book. 

“Thought it might help in combating Kylo Ren,” she told him. 

“It’s a clever idea,” said Pete. She stared at him expectantly, and he asked, “What?” 

“You know him better than anyone in the Resistance,” she said.

“Uh… You know his mom works here right?” Pete asked and Rey rolled her eyes.

“But you know him, as he is now. You’ve worked with him, lived with him.” 

“Please tell me this has a point, your intensity is freaking me out.” 

Rey leaned forward and asked, “What’s the best way to defeat him?” 

Pete took a deep breath, wondering what to say. It was hard to put into words. He did know Kylo’s strengths and weaknesses, though he wasn’t an expert. He let it out slowly, and he said, “As far as Kylo is concerned, that’s gonna take some doing. Though not impossible. He relies so much on his Force abilities that his martial skills are pretty weak.” 

“But?” Rey asked.

“But Kylo Ren isn’t the only problem. The First Order needs to be defeated too. I’m hoping the Resistance will learn from the New Republic’s mistakes.” Pete leaned forward too, so he was closer to Rey. “Do you know what the First Order is? Where they came from?” 

“They’re remnants of the Empire. They made their home in the Unknown Reaches after the Galactic Concordance,” she said. Pete snapped his fingers and pointed at her.

“Exactly the problem. They shouldn’t have made a treaty with them.” He sat back and crossed his arms over his chest. “Did they abide by it? For a time. But they used that time to gather their forces. To build ships, train new troops, to amass new strength. The New Republic turned a blind eye to it. Thinking that they’d done all they needed to keep the Empire from coming back.”

“What would you suggest then?” Rey asked. 

He shrugged. “I don’t think any of my suggestions would do us any good. We have to win this war first. And for all we know, there are more people like Finn in the First Order who want out but are too afraid to try. Or worse, don’t have the opportunity to get out. But I also don’t think they should be left to their own devices to do this shit all over again.” 

“So what would you do, kill them all?” 

It was then that Finn sat down, and he said, “He’s not wrong.” 

“Excuse me?” She looked startled, and Finn shrugged.

“There are a couple people, one or two, who’d like to escape from the First Order. But the rest, they believe in it. It’s almost like a religion for them. And they’d rather die than let the galaxy go back to what it was. They especially love the parts involving suppressing nonhuman life forms,” Finn said. He nodded to Pete. “How’ve you been?” 

“Okay, I guess? Still a lot of getting used to. Also, I need to construct a new lightsaber.” 

“You know how to do that?” she asked, eyes alight with curiosity.

Pete grinned at her. “Sure do. There are instructions in the sacred texts as well. It’s not easy, but it’s not too hard.” 

“Why do you need a new one though?” Finn seemed puzzled.

“Red is the universal color of a Dark Side user. It’s my way of trying to show that I’m changing.” 

“We would need Kyber crystals,” Rey pointed out, and Pete nodded. 

“Yes, we would. Luckily, I know where to find some. As soon as General Organa gives me the go ahead, we’re going to get them.” Pete smirked.

Finn blinked. “You mean you and Rey?” 

“No, I mean you, Rey, me, Patrick, and Poe Dameron. In case something happens to me, I want to make sure as many people know where to get them as need them. Well, without saving the exact coordinates. Can’t have the First Order know where they are. Besides, you and the General want to start up a Jedi school, right?” He asked Rey, who nodded. “Jedi need lightsabers, and for that, you need Kyber crystals.”

“You have a good point.” Rey by this time had her arms crossed on the table. “Is there anyone else we should bring?” 

Pete thought on it, then said, “Vicky, or Lt. Connix. Always useful to have an extra person carrying a blaster.” 

“Why, is this place dangerous?” Finn was frowning. 

“A little,” Pete admitted. “It’s not inhabited by sentients if that’s what you’re worried about. However, a lot of the local wildlife isn’t exactly friendly.” 

“Should be fine then,” Rey said. 

Poe sat down next to Pete, setting his lunch tray down carefully. ”What are we talking about?” 

“How gorgeous you are,” Pete sighed, and Poe laughed. 

“Don’t let your boyfriend hear you talking like that.” 

“I already have, a lot.” Patrick groaned. 

“Pattycakes!” Pete said as Patrick sat down on his other side. He got a sudden feeling of distaste and looked at Rey. Her expression wasn’t hostile, but she didn’t look happy to see Patrick. It puzzled him, but Pete chose to ignore it. He threw an arm around him and asked, “And how’s the second prettiest man in the Resistance today?” 

“Please. I’m eighth, at best.” 

“Oh come on Patrick, you’re very pretty,” Poe insisted. “Isn’t he Rey?” 

She shrugged and picked at her food, mumbling, “I suppose.” 

“I still wouldn’t say second. Not with two contenders for first sitting at this table,” he gestured to Poe and Finn. 

Finn put a hand to his chest in mock surprise, saying, “You think I’m pretty?” He then preened for everyone, which got them all busting up. Except for Patrick, who was fighting the urge to laugh. Pete was smirking, he loved to make Patrick laugh and was determined to make him lose his composure.

Poe made a slight bow to Finn, saying, “You are the prettiest on the base.” 

“I think most would say that’s you,” Rey giggled.

He flipped his curls a little and gave Rey and Finn a smoldering look. “I’m more sexy than pretty.” He then struck a pose, which had Patrick making strange noises behind Pete.

Pete fanned himself with his hand and leaned on Patrick. “I feel faint. Make him stop, Patrick, my weak heart can’t take the strain. He’s just… Too sexy!” He threw his arm over his eyes. “No! Poe, you’ve blinded me with your sexiness! Oh, how will I go on now? Knowing I’ll never see your beautiful face again!” He then pretended to cry. 

That really got everyone rolling. Rey was gasping for breath between laughs. Finn was doubled over and clutching his stomach, while Poe was pounding his fist on the table. The best of all was Patrick, who had finally cracked under the strain and was laughing so hard he was crying. 

This was what he’d left the First Order for. This was something he couldn’t have with them. Laughter and good times with comrades and friends. Pete was smiling so wide he was surprised his lip didn’t split in two. He felt love for these people, as friends and of course his lover. And he felt as though this were another step to returning to his old self. Of turning away from the Dark Side, forever.

* * *

“I still can’t believe I let you talk me into this,” Patrick said as they walked through the woods.

“Oh cmon, it’s fun,” Pete said with a grin, which made Patrick scowl at him.

“This is not my idea of fun,” he grumbled.

“Except it is fun, it’s better than fun, it’s SUPER fun!” Pete insisted.

“Would you keep your voice down?” Finn hissed.

“Why? There’s nothing out here,” Vicky pointed out.

“That we know of,” said Finn, which made her roll her eyes.

They’d been walking around for hours. Chia’ori was probably the least populated planet that Pete had ever seen. If there were something to worry about, they would have already run into it. Covered in rainforest so thick it would make Kashyyyk look sparse. It was not an easy place to get to, especially not the cave.

They couldn’t actually land where the crystals were. They had to hike in because the area was impossible to land a ship on. At least without destroying the forest, which Pete was trying to avoid. Nothing would say a big “look over here!” to the First Order like burned trees.

“How did you find this place?” Rey asked as they walked.

Pete shrugged. “The Force led me here.”

“Really?” Finn asked and Pete nodded.

“I don’t sleep much when I do I always dream weird stuff. I’m not so great at listening to the Force when I’m awake, so I get messages through my dreams.”

“What kind of stuff do you dream about?” Poe asked. He hopped over a fallen log, then turned and helped Finn over it.

“It varies. Sometimes the past, sometimes the future, but it’s always something I need to know,” said Pete. “This time it was a dream.”

“I’ve experienced that too,” said Rey. She had climbed up a rock but then jumped down when Patrick shot her a look. “I dreamed about the island Master Skywalker was on many times before I ever went there.”

“My mother used to say that if you dream of things that come to pass, then you are on the right path,” said Pete with a sigh.

Patrick squeezed his shoulder and said, “She sounds like a wise woman.” 

“Yeah,” he replied with a sad smile.

“Could all Jedi see the future through dreams?” Rey asked, and Pete shook his head.

“No, but there are other powers too that are along the same vein. There was an ability some of the old Jedi Masters used to have. They could read shatterpoints.” 

“What’s a shatterpoint?” Vicky asked.

“It’s a person or a place where a significant event occurs, something that changes everything. Like the Battle of Yavin, that was a shatterpoint. If one of the old masters had been around, they could have seen it coming and also possible outcomes,” he told them. 

“Too bad they couldn’t foresee the fall of the Jedi Order,” Patrick said. 

“Yeah well Palpatine made sure they wouldn’t,” Poe told him. 

Finn looked at him with puzzlement. “How’d you know that?” 

“Leia told me.” 

Pete was about to respond, but he stopped. He held up a hand, saying, “Hey, hold on a second, you guys.” They stopped, and Pete reached out with his feelings. He smiled a bit, then looked at Rey, asking, “Can you feel it?” 

She looked unsure but closed her eyes. He could tell she found it when her eyes snapped open and she grinned. “This way!” Rey said and jogged up the hill.

Finn followed suit, with Poe right on their heels. Vicky was giggling and she said, “They’re so cute!” 

“I hope they decide to date each other, that would be the cutest,” Pete agreed and Patrick rolled his eyes.

“So are we going to keep speculating about their potential love lives? Or go get these fucking crystals?” Patrick didn’t wait for an answer, he headed up the hill. 

Vicky laughed and said, “Patrick wait up!” 

Pete was the last up the hill and found everyone gathered outside the mouth of a cave. Rey was staring at the entrance, as though she weren’t sure if she should go inside. Pete stood next to her and asked, “Are you ready?” 

She nodded. “Yes.” 

Pete turned to the others. “Rey and I have to do this ourselves. Sorry, but there’s like… Mystical stuff.” 

“That’s wonderfully specific Pete,” Patrick snorted. 

“I don’t know how to describe it!” He whined. “It’s like… We have to sense what crystals will work for us and like, commune with the Force and shit like that.” 

“I think I just figured out why you don’t want to be a teacher,” Vicky snarked, and Poe laughed. 

“You guys are mean,” said Pete. He then turned and walked into the cave. 

He heard Rey behind him, and she asked, “Will this take long?” 

“It might, that’s why I brought this.” He gestured to the bag on his back. 

Pete and Rey were quiet as they walked. It was getting dark, but Pete pulled an electronic torch from his bag. He turned it on and said, “So, remember how I said we’re supposed to reach out through the Force and find our crystals?”

“Yes.”

“May wanna start doing that now. I’m not gonna have the light on when we get closer.”

“We’re supposed to find them in the dark?” Rey asked incredulously.

“Bingo. Think of it as an exercise,” Pete said to her. They started to walk, and he continued. “Also think of how fun this is gonna be for you when you’re the one leading a bunch of younglings in here. Telling them to find their own Kyber crystals. You like younglings, right?”

“I’m not sure,” Rey admitted. “I didn’t know any growing up, you don’t usually find them on Jakku.”

Pete nodded. “Makes sense, not exactly a great planet for a kid. Especially a kid growing up.”

Rey didn’t respond, but she didn’t need to. Pete had sensed her loneliness and felt it was prudent not to press her. She was young, but she was proud. Something she and Patrick had in common, he was surprised they weren’t better friends. That did get Pete’s curiosity piqued, so he asked, “So there’s something that’s been bugging me.”

“What?” Rey asked, and Pete dove right in.

“Why don’t you like Patrick?”

She shot him a puzzled look, then said, “I never said I didn’t like him.”

“I know, but you don’t,” Pete replied.

“Is it that obvious?” He could sense some guilt, and he offered her an easy smile.

“Only to me. So why don’t you like him?”

Rey sighed. “I know that he and Poe were… Involved.”

“You mean fucking on the regular, but go on.”

She made a face at him but continued. “Poe still likes him, but sometimes, when he looks at Patrick, I can sense hurt. Poe is my friend, and I don’t like to see him hurting.”

“Did you ask Poe about it?” Pete asked, and Rey shook her head.

“No, I wasn’t sure how to bring it up.”

“Without admitting you were sensing his feelings,” Pete concluded.

“Yes exactly.” She was avoiding Pete’s gaze.

“From what I understand it was mutual, but they didn’t want to break up. They didn’t have a choice,” Pete told her.

“How’s that?”

Pete shrugged as they went further into the cave. They weren’t close yet, but he was still reaching through the Force. He could feel Rey was doing the same. “They weren’t together very long. Poe had joined the Resistance, but they knew each other from flight school. Patrick can’t fly like Poe can but he’s a decent pilot. He works better as a gunner though.

“Anyway, Poe got his mission to get the map to Skywalker. It was the same time Patrick was being stationed at Lyursa. There was a chance Poe wasn’t coming back, and they both knew it. They agreed it would be better for them to break it off instead of risking heartbreak on either end.”

Rey seemed to consider that, and then she said quietly, “So the pain he feels?”

“It’s likely regret,” Pete replied. “I can’t say for sure I try not to get involved in Poe’s feelings.”

“Do you like him?” She asked and Pete laughed.

“More than I should,” he said, still chuckling. “It’s not only that pretty face of his. He’s got a drive to him, and he’s a true believer in the Resistance. I can see why he and Patrick were an item. Finn’s pretty great too, I’m surprised he and Poe haven’t gotten together.”

“Are you serious?” Rey looked surprised.

“Well, yeah. They have a lot in common and they’re attracted to each other, it’s not out of the realm of possibilities. Though Rose kind of complicates things since she likes Finn too.”

Rey bit her lip. “Yes, I suppose.”

He stopped for a moment, and asked, “What about you?”

“What about me?” She asked and Pete shrugged.

“Got special feelings for anyone? I notice you hang around Gabe,” said Pete and Rey gave him a cross look.

“He’s a friend. And I’ve been helping him learn about the Force.” She said with finality.

Pete chuckled but didn’t comment. Gabe was fun, and as a smuggler with a devil may care attitude, he was a lot like Han Solo. Pete thought it was adorable. He was about to say more, when he sensed something, and said, “We’re getting close.”

“Yes,” she agreed. Pete killed the light.

He took a few minutes to adjust to the darkness, and reach out with his senses. Through the Force, he could feel every nook and cranny in the cave. He could also sense what they’d come for, and silently proceeded forward. He could feel Rey behind him, her own Force energy bumping against his own.

Pete wasn’t sure how long they walked for, but he knew when they’d reached their destination. There were two paths, and he could see a faint glow in the distance. He said to Rey, “Split up. If you need help call me.” 

He doubted she would, Rey was more open to the Force than Pete. She had the same raw power as Kylo Ren, and sometimes it intimidated him. But after a lifetime of injustices, abuse, and neglect, it didn’t make her vengeful. It made her kind.

Rey went to the right, and Pete took the left. Pete could feel his pulse speeding up, but he scolded himself. Thoughts about being unworthy, of turning and leaving this to Rey who was a true Jedi were washing over him. But he squashed those thoughts. Pete had left the Knights of Ren. He’d left the First Order. He was good enough, he could do this.

He found the crystals in an alcove, jutting out from the rocks. Pete ran his hand above them, and while they gave off a good energy, they weren’t right for him. He nodded and moved on. Pete passed several clusters of crystals of various colors. Most were blue or green, but he saw the odd yellow or clear one from time to time. He felt each of them through the Force, but none called to him. None felt like his.

He wondered if he should stop and eat when he sensed a presence. Pete let out a slow breath, and said, “Come to help me out?”

Master Skywalker appeared, a blue aura around him. “Do you think you need it?”

“Maybe, I dunno,” Pete replied and kept walking.

“You’re training Rey,” he said and Pete shook his head.

“No, I’m not. I’m telling her what I remember, which isn’t much. That doesn’t count,” he said and Master Skywalker chuckled.

“And you think I was already a wise master when I started my school?” He asked.

Pete smirked. “I don’t know about wise. Knowledgeable, but not wise.”

“And that’s what you want to be? Wise?”

Pete shook his head. “Nah, I’d settle for knowing what I’m doing. It’s kinda hard to be a Jedi if you’re making shit up as you go along.”

“It is, I should know. That’s pretty much what I was doing from the time Obi-Wan handed me my father’s lightsaber,” said Luke. Pete turned to look at him. “If the Jedi are to reform, they’ll need your help. Your past is checkered, that’s true. But that doesn’t mean you wouldn’t be a good teacher.”

“What if I screw up?” Pete asked.

“Like I did?” he asked, which made Pete pause. “It’s gonna happen anyway, you shouldn’t let yourself get so twisted up about it.”

“Yeah well, you don’t have a rep as a former Dark Lord of the Sith. I think it’s a lot more significant if I screw up,” he pointed out.

Luke scoffed at that. “You think so huh? Did you ever think that your experience as a Sith might help?”

“Are you on drugs?” Pete exclaimed, then thought better of it and asked, “Can Force ghosts do drugs?”

“Were you always this funny? I don’t remember you being funny,” Master Skywalker said, trying to keep from smiling. “Think about it, who would know better the temptations of the Dark Side? And why it’s ultimately not worth it?”

Pete started walking again, and he mumbled, “That makes sense.”

“Don’t sound so cheerful about it,” Luke snarked, and Pete smiled.

“Okay, I’ll do what I can to help, I promise.”

He felt a sudden spike in energy, and Pete turned to look behind him. There was a purple glow issuing from one of the crevices, and Pete stepped forward. It was a Kyber crystal. He could feel the energy coming from it, and it was just right for Pete. He smiled as he reached out, and plucked the crystal from the wall.

“Oh this is gonna look amazing,” Pete said.

Luke chuckled. “I’m sure it will.”

He vanished, but Pete didn’t call for him or ask him to come back. He heard what he needed to hear, and was smiling as he put the crystal away. Pete went to find Rey, certain that she likely had her crystal as well. It was a good start for the reformation of the Jedi. And maybe some hope would return to the galaxy.


	8. Chapter Eight

They returned from Chia’ori. Rey immediately went into solitude to build her lightsaber. Solitude was needed, but Pete didn’t want to hole up in the room he shared with Patrick. Instead, he had another idea. Pete asked permission to close off the courtyard. He wanted to perform his meditation under the trees there. Leia granted it, wishing him luck.

Before he saw to this task, he had one more to perform, something that he had been putting off for some time. Patrick was sitting next to him on the bed, and he asked, “Are you sure you want me here for this? I understand if you want privacy.”

Pete shook his head. “No, please don’t leave. I can’t do this on my own.”

Patrick shrugged, but he took Pete’s hand and squeezed it. Pete let out a breath, and said, “Aythree, play the message.”

It whistled, and the hologram started. There was his mother, dressed in gray and blue in muted tones. He recognized the color scheme. She wore soothing colors whenever she thought she was going to have a tough day. Pete thought there wasn’t much that was tougher than leaving a heartfelt message for a child. One who may never receive it, or may not even want it.

“Peter,” she said, a warm smile on her face. “I don’t know when or how this message will reach you, but I’ve given it to General Organa and she’ll see that it’s done. I couldn’t exactly go to the Unknown Zones and ask to speak with you.” There was no judgment in her voice, simply her sense of humor. It made Pete smile.

“I wanted to say, I’m sorry. We thought we were saving you by sending you with Master Skywalker. Instead, we put you in the way of Ben Solo. Now I wonder if we could have found a better way.” She sighed. 

“I’m so sorry baby. Please know that I love you so much. I know you’re struggling, I know you’re hurting, and that’s taken you to a dark place. But I have faith that someday you’ll find your way back to the light. I want you to know that no matter what, I’m proud of you. I love you, Peter.” She smiled again, and the message ended.

Pete didn’t realize he was crying until Patrick wrapped an arm around him. He leaned on Patrick, saying, “I’m so stupid.”

“No you’re not,” he replied, hugging Pete. “You’re not stupid. Besides your mom was right. You found your way back.”

“I wish I could see her again,” Pete said. 

“I know.” He helped Pete sit up, and gave him a gentle kiss.

“I’m sorry,” he said, looking down. “I feel stupid for blubbering like this.”

"Why?" 

"Well... You never told me what happened to your parents." 

Patrick stilled, and Pete thought he'd gone too far. Found the one thing that Patrick wouldn't open up about. He felt a twinge of grief, and he said, "They were in the Hosnian system too. Not on Hosnian Prime, but one of the minor planets." 

"Oh... Patrick I'm so sorry," Pete said, and Patrick shrugged. 

"I've had more time to process it. I didn't want to tell you, at first because I thought you'd use it against me. Then later when I realized you were telling the truth about changing, I I thought you'd blame yourself." 

"You are so wise," Pete said, and it surprised a laugh out of Patrick.

They kissed again, and Patrick said, "Are you ready?" 

"Yeah, I think I am." He stood up and went to the door. He stopped in the entry and said, "Patrick? Just... I love you." 

"I love you, too," Patrick replied. 

Pete left the room and headed to the garden. He'd already placed everything he would need in the courtyard. Except for the crystal which he carried with him. He was surprised to see Rose standing in front of the doors. "Hey, everything okay?" He asked.

"Yeah, just brought something for you," she said and handed him one of the Lorrdian crystals.

"I thought you said you were saving these for Rey?" 

Rose shrugged. "She said she doesn't need two, she thought you should have the other one." 

"Thank you," he replied. He meant for more than the crystals. If Rose had agreed to this, that meant she was starting to trust him. Or at least trust Rey's opinion that he wasn't about to kill them all in their sleep.

"You're welcome," Rose replied and walked away. 

Pete went outside, and it was yet another hot day. He smiled, feeling as though finally, he was on his way. He wished he could talk to Luke again, but this was something Pete had to do on his own. He went to the corner he'd selected, and sat on the ground, crossing his legs.

He went over each part, touching them and getting a feel for them through the Force. A Jedi had to know his lightsaber in and out, after all. The assembly did take some time, the sun overhead by the time he'd come to the most important part. He'd managed to rig both crystals together, and it wasn't elegant, but it would hold. No crackling like Kylo Ren's lightsaber.

"You can do this," he said to himself. 

Pete held the completed lightsaber in his hands and closed his eyes. He opened himself to the Force, letting it flow through him and into the hilt. He made his focus the crystals, he would have to fill them with Force energy, then activate the lightsaber. He also had to be careful, as he could overload the crystals and make them explode. Or worse, he could miss the mark and have to start all over again.

He exhaled and directed the flow of the Force energy as he felt necessary. As he went, he could feel the crystals coming to life. In his mind, he could see them glowing brighter and brighter until it nearly blinded him. He grinned and closed the crystals off. He then held out his hand and ignited the lightsaber for the first time.

The tell-tale hiss was loud in the courtyard, and he could see the glow behind his eyelids. When he opened his eyes, he grinned and let out a whoop of excitement. His new blade was a vibrant shade of purple, a rare color, and one that gave Pete hope. Purple was made by a mixture of red and blue, two of the most common lightsaber colors. He couldn't erase his past, but he learned from it.

"Kylo Ren watch your ass," he said to himself and laughed. He couldn't wait to show Patrick.

* * *

Pete squared his shoulders, lifting his lightsaber. He asked Rey, “Are you sure you wanna do this?” 

Her emerald blade came to life, and she said, “I need to practice and you’re the only other Force user here.” 

“You know Finn or Poe would be just as happy to get their ass kicked by you,” he pointed out, and Rey smiled at that.

“You’re supposed to be one of the best duelists in the galaxy. I want to be better than you.” 

“That’s not hard. Don’t be me,” Pete replied. He shrugged and got his blade up, adding, “Okay, show me what you’ve got.” 

She came at him hard, and Pete damn near got knocked off his feet. As they fought, he was certainly impressed. Rey did not lack in skill, at least for general martial prowess. He'd heard she used to use a staff to fight on Jakku. Truth be told, that wasn’t too different from how she handled her lightsaber. She was quick to adjust to the change. And even pulled out a few moves that would have taken Pete’s arm off if he were a little slower. 

Pete was certain he was going to lose, so he jumped back, held his hands up and said, “I yield!” 

Rey was panting, but there was that smile again. Pete thought it made her look like an elf, it was too damned cute for words. They both extinguished their lightsabers, and Rey said, “You’re quick.”

“I have to be, I’m not as strong as the other Knights. At least not physically,” Pete admitted. 

They heard clapping, and both turned to see Patrick standing there. “Congratulations, Rey, that was amazing.” 

“Thank you,” she said and sounded like she meant it. Pete hoped that meant she’d gotten over her little grudge against him.

“General Organa wants to see us,” said Patrick. 

Pete went and grabbed a towel, wiping off his face. He tossed it to Rey and said, “C’mon, let’s go see what Leia wants. I hope it’s to tell us the First Order have all given up and Kylo’s gonna be whipped through the streets of Coruscant naked.”

“Ugh, no thanks, I’ve seen enough of him as it is,” Rey replied with a grimace.

He almost asked about it, but Patrick was giving him an annoyed look, so he kept his mouth shut and followed him. They’d been using an empty hangar for their lightsaber training, so as not to risk injury to others. 

Pete had found an old remote stinger droid on the Millenium Falcon and had at first used that. It felt good to get back to basics, but Rey was such a prodigy in the Force she had grown tired of it fast. When she’d asked to duel with him, he couldn’t say no.

They went to Leia’s quarters, which immediately got Pete on edge. If they were meeting here rather than in a conference room, then this was gonna be top secret. He reached out and took Patrick’s hand, who gave him a reassuring squeeze back. In the parlor, they found Poe, Finn, and Rose talking quietly. Rey went right to them, Finn giving her a hug. 

Poe clapped Pete on the shoulder and said, “Thanks for coming.” 

“Why do I feel like I’m about to get bad news?” 

“Because you are,” he replied but didn’t elaborate. 

Pete glanced at Patrick, who said, “Don’t look at me, I don’t know what’s happening.” He kissed Pete’s cheek and squeezed his hand again. “It’ll be okay.” 

“Man I hope so,” Pete mumbled. 

It was another few minutes before Leia joined them. She had them all sit together at a large round table, then turned on the holopad in the table. A hologram appeared, and Pete blinked in surprise. 

“Since when do you watch The Voice of Reason?” Pete asked. Poe also looked confused, but Leia fixed him with a look.

“Since she’s been giving secret codes out to our undercover operatives,” Leia replied. 

Pete’s jaw dropped. “No fucking way!” 

“Yes fucking way,” Leia said to him. She sat down and gestured to the hologram. “Ermengarde Hux has been helping the Resistance for two years.” 

“How?” Finn asked, clearly stunned. 

“Certain keywords that she works into her broadcast. Or subtle things such as wearing certain colors or styling her hair one way or another. Something that wouldn’t mean anything to the First Order. But it means worlds to those in the Resistance,” Leia explained. 

“Wait, how did this even happen?” Asked Rose. “Ermengarde Hux is First Order royalty. She was raised with their philosophies the same as Armitage Hux.” 

“She has political connections everywhere, not only the First Order. She contacted us to see if there was a way to help the Resistance. Of course, we were hesitant at first, given what her family is like and who they are. However, she’s proven herself time and again to be loyal to us,” said Leia. She had a pleased expression on her face. 

“Okay, so she’s a Resistance spy, that’s great,” Patrick said. 

“Not for long,” Leia replied. She pressed a button, and footage came on screen. It was Ermengarde talking to someone, and the two separated. “She was seen with one of our operatives. The First Order don’t have this footage, but they do have the operative. It’s only a matter of time before she’s compromised.”

“Plausible deniability,” Poe said with a shrug. “She could claim she didn’t know that he’s with us.” 

Leia shook her head. “We have word from other spies in the network that Kylo Ren himself is going to interrogate her. We need to get to Ermengarde before that happens.” 

“Oh shit,” Pete said softly.

“What’s the plan?” Rey asked. 

Leia went over it. The plan was pretty simple. Sneak onto Coruscant, grab the girl, and run. In its simplicity, it was also complicated. The First Order controlled that planet. After Rose and Finn snuck onto their flagship, they were more paranoid than ever about security. They would have to make a pretty big gamble, and Pete knew what it had to be.

“So who’s gonna turn me in for the reward?” Pete asked, expression grim. which made everyone at the table look up at him.

“We don’t have to do that, there’s gotta be another way,” Patrick said, but Pete shook his head. 

“It makes the most sense. And we can’t use any of you,” he gestured to Rose, Finn, Poe, and Rey. “The First Order knows your faces, they’ll never go for it.”

“Corporal Urie and Sergeant Asher would be suitable candidates,” Leia told him.

“No that won’t work,” said Poe. “We need someone who doesn’t have known ties to us.”

“What about Gabe?” Rey asked, and everyone looked at her. “He’s always saying that he’s a businessman, they might think he’s neutral like that DJ person. And he’s Force-sensitive, he would be back up for Pete.” 

Rose grinned. “That’s brilliant!” 

“No,” Patrick said, loud enough that everyone was staring at him now. His cheeks were red, but he was scowling with determination. “I’ll do it.” 

“Absolutely not,” said Poe and Pete at the same time. 

“If my boyfriend is getting turned over to the First Order, I want to be there,” Patrick said.

“We can’t risk you,” Finn said, and Rose nodded. 

“We need you to help with weapons and defenses.” 

Patrick shook his head. “I won’t allow it if I can’t be there with him.” 

“What if Kylo Ren shows up?” Rey asked, frowning at him. “He’d be able to sense your emotions right away, then you’d both be killed!” 

“And how is Gabe gonna help with that?!” Patrick snapped.

“He can shield his thoughts and emotions, he’s been practicing,” Rey explained.

Leia cleared her throat, and everyone fell silent. She was staring at Patrick, who was staring back. After a minute, she said, “I’m sorry Patrick, we can’t take the risk.” Patrick looked ready to protest, which she could see. “You’ll still be on the mission, but you won’t be the one who goes with Pete.” 

Pete could see the conflict in Patrick, that he wanted to argue with Leia. But he got himself under control. While Pete could see his eyes were watering, he nodded and said, “I understand. I hate it, but I understand.” 

“Good.” Leia went back to the mission parameters. Pete and Gabe would lure Kylo to one side of the planet. On the other side Poe, Rey, and Patrick would extract Ermengarde and get her out of the sector. They would all be on the same shuttle, and it was up to Patrick to find and secure transport for the second team. 

“How are you going to get to her undetected?” Pete asked.

Leia was looking at Patrick, who was studying the table intently. “The First Order has developed some very unique technology, including hyperspace tracking. But we’ve been developing our own.”

Poe was looking at Patrick now too, and he asked, “Did you finish it?”

“It might not work,” Patrick mumbled.

“Finish what?” Finn asked, looking just as confused as Pete.

“I’ve been working on a multipurpose shield,” Patrick said. “One that would render a craft invisible to scans and to the naked eye. However, I can’t get the second bit to work right so instead I started customizing an old Naboo cruiser.”

“Customizing how?” Asked Rose, leaning forward.

“I noticed that the mirror-like reflection on the cruiser makes it difficult to see at times. So I’ve been working to add panels to it that would project what they pick up.”

“You’re making an invisible ship?” Pete couldn’t keep the surprise out of his voice.

“I was trying to, I’m kind of stalled on that process since it’s just a hobby,” Patrick told him. Pete couldn’t help but thinking that Patrick had some weird hobbies. Weird but genius hobbies.

“How many cameras are you using to feed information to the panels?” Rose asked

“About fifty so far,” said Patrick.

“We’ll need to install more. I can help you retrofit enough cameras and sensors so it’ll be nearly invisible,” Rose told him.

“Really? I had this idea—“

Leia cut him off. “You can discuss the particulars later. Do you think you can do it?”

“How long do we have?”

“Six hours.”

“That’s gonna be a stretch but I think we can do it,” said Rose, and Patrick nodded.

“Good. Get to it,” Leia said.

They left the room, Pete following after Patrick and Rose. Suddenly, he was terrified he wouldn’t see Patrick again. It was a risk, what they were doing. Especially the part of the plan that involved baiting Kylo Ren. He could very well see it coming, and Pete would be toast. He hoped whoever was turning him over knew what they were in for.

Pete caught up with Patrick and said to Rose, “Give us a minute?”

She gave him a questioning look, but she nodded and walked off. Pete pulled Patrick into a hug, hooking his chin over Patrick’s shoulder. “I love you,” he murmured.

“I love you too,” Patrick replied, squeezing him back. Pete could feel he was trembling. “I’m afraid.”

“Don’t be, your ship is gonna work and it’ll be brilliant,” Pete said, and Patrick shook his head as he pulled away.

“I mean I’m afraid for you,” he said to Pete.

Pete did his best to give Patrick a roguish smile. He was afraid too, but he’d be damned if he let Patrick know it. “C’mon, it’ll be fine. You guys grab the girl, I’ll kick Kylo off a tall building, and we’ll be good to go.”

“I would actually love to see you kick Kylo Ren off a building,” Patrick said and Pete laughed.

They kissed a gentle press of lips, each holding back from the other. Neither wanted it to be the last kiss, but knowing it very well could be. Pete threw his arm around Patrick’s shoulders and said, “Okay, show me your invisible ship.”


	9. Chapter Nine

“Almost there,” Gabe said, turning off the autopilot.

“Great,” Pete mumbled, rubbing at his forehead. His eyes stung like he’d been crying or hadn’t slept.

Gabe looked over at him and raised an eyebrow, “You sure you’re okay with this?”

“The better question is are you okay with this?” Pete asked.

“Why wouldn’t I be?”

“Once word gets out that you’re helping the Resistance. You’re gonna lose your neutral status. It could impact your business,” he pointed out, and at that, Gabe chuckled.

“If the First Order manages to get full control of the galaxy I’m gonna be out of business anyway,” he said with a shrug. Pete couldn’t argue that point, so instead, he focused on closing himself off from the Force.

It had been Leia’s idea, convince Kylo Ren that Gabe had an ysalimir on board and that Pete was defenseless. Pete would still be able to sense things. But he wouldn’t be able to use his more active abilities such as telekinesis. Pete hadn’t liked it, but he couldn’t argue with her logic. It was a sound plan.

They came out of hyperspace, and there was Coruscant in full view. Pete had only been there once when he was a child. And it was still an ugly mess of skyscrapers and speeders. Gabe expertly piloted _Cobra Starship_ towards the old Imperial Palace.

“Why is it called Cobra Starship?” Pete asked.

“Because I’m the Cobra and this is my Starship,” he replied and Pete groaned.

“I never want to see you again after this is over.”

“Lies, you love me.”

It was then that a squadron of TIE fighters flew overhead. Three broke off from the group and started following them.

A voice came over the radio, saying, “Unregistered craft, identify yourself.”

Gabe turned on the comm system, saying, “This is Gabriel Saporta of the ship _Cobra Starship_. I have Kaos Ren.”

There was silence for longer than Pete would have liked. Then the voice said, “You are cleared to land at platform 5B at the Imperial Palace. Power down shields and follow us.”

“As ordered,” Gabe replied and shut off the comms.

“I’ve got a bad feeling about this,” Pete said, and Gabe shrugged.

“You worry too much.”

They followed the TIE fighters and landed where they were instructed. Pete checked the time and knew that Patrick and his team would be at the Transcendence Gardens by then. He got up and let Gabe put the fake handcuffs on him.

“You got my old lightsaber?”

Gabe held it up and smiled. “Always prepared.”

“Okay let’s get this over with,” Pete said.

Gabe made a show of grabbing him by the shoulder, then walking him down the gangway. Several stormtroopers were waiting for them, along with General Hux. He sneered at Pete, then said, “You’ll release the prisoner into our custody, and I’ll see that you’re amply rewarded.”

“That’s rich,” Gabe replied, smiling at him. “You want me to just hand him over? No money, no protection, nothing?”

Hux raised an eyebrow. “I assume you have an alternative.”

“This guy’s a Sith, I had to get several ysalimir to keep him powerless long enough to get him here. I want compensation, and I wanna talk to the Supreme Leader myself,” Gabe replied.

“Fuck you,” Pete said, and Gabe hit the back of his head with the lightsaber. Pete made a show of falling over, still in his cuffs.

“I see,” said Hux, and the sneer had turned into a smirk. “The Supreme Leader will arrive shortly.”

“Great, can’t wait to meet him,” Gabe said, then pulled Pete to his feet. He hissed, “Somethin’ don’t feel right.”

Pete had to agree. The arrangement was made in advance, and it was understood that Kylo Ren would be there to meet them. That he wasn’t didn’t bode well for them. Pete knew it was a big risk, but he opened himself to the Force. He had to know what was going on.

It was like getting slapped in the face with a branding iron. He felt intense anger and hatred… But not directed at him.

“He’s on to us!” Pete exclaimed. That was when the stormtroopers opened fire.

Gabe ignited Pete’s old lightsaber, picking off blaster bolts. Pete broke out of the fake cuffs and pulled his own lightsaber from a hidden pocket in his trousers. He said, “Get the ship started so we can get the hell out of here!”

As though reading his mind, a TIE fighter pulled close. Pete reached out, keeping himself calm and focused. It was easy enough to reach inside the ship and rip out some wires. He deflected a few more shots, then followed Gabe onto the ship.

“The fuck was that all about?!” Gabe asked as they flew away.

“Kylo Ren knows Ermengarde’s a traitor. He’s headed there now,” Pete replied, extinguishing his lightsaber.

“Shit!” Gabe was steady on the stick, but he said, “We’ve got more TIE fighters coming and I don’t have guns on this boat.”

“You don’t need ‘em,” Pete replied, and settled into the copilot seat. He was open to the Force now, and in his mind’s eye, he could see the ships following.

Pete nodded and focused his attention on the internal systems of the TIE fighters. One or two misplaced wires or a crushed exhaust valve, and they were no longer a problem. He felt something though, as he was causing the ships to malfunction. It was the tiniest brush, but it was there. Pete was straying close to the Dark Side.

Mentally, he shook it off and opened his eyes. Gabe was staring at him, and he said, “You have got to teach me how to do that.”

“We get out of this I sure will. Punch it.”

Gabe hit the accelerator, and in a few minutes, they were at Transcendence Gardens. Luckily there were no patrols nearby, but Pete could feel Kylo Ren was coming, and he was furious. Hux had likely gotten word to him by now of Pete’s presence, meaning they were out of time.

“Keep the ship running!” Pete said. He then went and opened the gangway, and dropped onto the roof of the building. He climbed down onto a balcony covered in ferns and palms and used the Force to break the door open.

He found Patrick and Rey with Ermengarde. Patrick and Rey looked very odd in their fancy clothes. It was something that Leia thought would help them blend in on Coruscant. 

Ermengarde was dressed in black, with thin beige rectangle sections giving the illusion of the fabric being see through. All three looked at him with surprise, and Pete said, “We gotta get out of here, Kylo Ren is on his way.”

“Damn,” Ermengarde said, and walked out of the room.

“Where the hell is she going?!” Pete asked and Patrick shrugged.

“Hell if I know. How do you know he’s coming?”

“He wasn’t there to meet Gabe and me at the platform, it was that asshole Hux. He told us to wait, so I got kinda jumpy,” Pete admitted.

“You opened yourself to the Force?” Rey asked and Pete nodded.

“Yeah. I could sense he was pissed off but not about me. I don’t know how but he knew the plan.”

He could feel a surge in energy, and he knew that Kylo was getting closer. Rey scowled, and Pete realized she could sense it too. “There’s no time to be delicate. Ermengarde, we have to go!”

She returned from the other room, red hair hidden beneath the hood of a cloak. She was carrying a silk bag, and she said, “Sorry, had to pop off for a moment to get this.”

Pete wanted to ask, but he could feel Kylo Ren was coming closer. Not to mention every TIE unit for eight parsecs were likely on their way as well. They went out to the landing pad, and Pete blinked when he only saw Gabe’s ship.

Patrick said, “She’s there, trust me.”

As if on cue, Poe seemed to appear out of midair. “We’ve got incoming!”

“Go with Poe,” Rey said to Ermengarde, and she followed after him, bag clutched tight. She then turned to Pete and said, “We’ll have to split up.”

“We can draw their fire. Fly fast,” he said. Patrick jogged up to him, and Pete pulled him into a kiss.

Patrick sighed as they broke apart, and said, “Don’t get killed.”

“You neither, see you back at the base!” Pete said.

He boarded Gabe’s ship, and they flew off. Pete looked out the window and was glad to see there was still no sign of Patrick’s ship. He said to Gabe, “That is the smartest man I’ve ever met.”

“Uh oh,” Gabe muttered as the screens went red. “Looks like the party’s starting.”

Pete saw several TIE fighters headed their way, as well as a ship that looked very familiar. He knew it was Kylo, and he said, “I hope you fly as fast as you think you do.”

“Faster,” Gabe said.

However, Pete didn’t hear him. Instead, he heard another voice, one that he knew very well.

“You’ve fallen in with the Resistance?”

“Not fallen so much as jumped,” Pete replied.

He felt amusement. “You were always a funny one. Come back to us.”

“I can’t,” he said and sighed. “I’m not like you anymore.”

“Are you sure about that?” Pete didn’t answer, and he felt Kylo’s satisfaction. “Meet me on Tattooine. We can talk.”

He felt Kylo withdraw, and Pete realized they were in hyperspace. He looked at Gabe, who was staring back at him. “The hell?”

“Don’t ask,” Pete replied. “Are we clear?”

“Yeah we’re clear, on our way to the rendezvous then on to the base,” he replied. He gave Pete a concerned look. “Were you talking to Kylo Ren?”

“I said don’t ask,” he snapped.

Gabe held his hands up, saying, “Hey, no judgment man. What was he doing, trying to lure you back to the Dark Side or something?”

“Pretty much, yeah,” Pete admitted. “He’s wasting his time.”

“I figured as much.” Gabe took off his safety belt and said, “I’m gonna go read for a bit. You mind making sure we don’t crash into a sun?”

“You? Read?” He asked, and Gabe laughed.

“Yeah asshole, I read. More than you do.” He gave a small wave and left the cockpit.

Pete smiled at that, but the smile didn’t last. What if Kylo was right? Pete had come close to using the Dark Side, all because he was acting in haste. He knew that was a big no-no, but he’d done it anyway. He brooded on it for most of the trip, only snapping out of it when they finally landed at the base.

The first thing he saw once he was off the ship was Patrick. The second was Leia standing next to him, and both were smiling.

He grinned and ran down the gangway, pulling Patrick into a hug and spinning him around.

“We did it!” Patrick said with delight.

“You did it! You’re a genius!” Pete replied, and kissed him.

Leia cleared her throat, then said, “I’d say this was a joint effort. Well done.”

“Thanks, ma’am,” he replied.

Patrick tugged him along, saying, “C’mon you have to see this.”

They entered the base, and Patrick had dragged Pete all the way to the debriefing room. There was a small crowd assembled on some bleachers. Ermengarde was at the center of the room, and she held what looked like a crystal ball.

“The hell is that?” He asked, and Ermengarde gave him a smile.

“You’ll see,” she said.

Patrick and Pete sat down together, near Rose, Rey, Poe, and Finn. Gabe, Vicky, Joe, and Brendon were across the aisle from them. Brendon gave him an enthusiastic wave, while Joe blew kisses, and Vicky winked. Pete laughed and waved back. Gabe was grinning.

Once everyone was assembled, Leia joined them. She said, “As most of you know by now, we sent an elite team on a mission to extract an operative. What you didn’t know until now is that operative is Ermengarde Hux.” Ermengarde smiled. Leia continued, “While this was a rescue operation, it seems we have secured some intel as well. Miss Hux, if you would.”

She nodded and took a few steps back, and someone dimmed the lights. She held the ball out in front of herself and seemed to be pressing her thumbs into it. A hologram of schematics appeared.

“I’ve been keeping records of everything I could get my hands on, as far as the First Order is concerned. I’m certain the security information is useless by now. The system would have been changed right after my rescue. I do have details on several military plans and new weapons systems that are being developed. We had enough time that I could bring this with me, which is another new technology that they’ve been developing.”

The hologram shut off, and the lights came back on. She held the ball up and said, “This is called a data core. It’s been developed to replace the old cartridge system that the Imperials used and is still used. It can be fed into a specialized reader, or data can be transmitted directly from the core. In signal waves or holograms as you have just seen. This contains hundreds of bytes of information. And you’ll notice it’s lightweight and easy to conceal. There are only four data cores in existence at this time, including this one.”

Patrick let out a low whistle, and said, “I can’t wait to take that thing apart.”

That made a few people laugh, and Ermengarde smiled at him. “You won’t be able to right now. I will give the Resistance every opportunity to reverse engineer this technology. Once all information from it has been copied.”

She looked to Leia, who said, “The First Order has had an edge over us for too long. Today, we have a chance to catch up. I’ll be sending notices to all personnel in the coming weeks with new orders. Hopefully, we’ll be able to find some weaknesses and exploit them. Dismissed.”

People were getting up and talking excitedly. There was hope in the air, and that was a relief to Pete. Yet he was still troubled. As he and Patrick headed back to their rooms, it was still gnawing at him. Their escape was too easy, at least in Pete’s opinion. They could have been blown out of the sky, or been followed back to the Resistance base. What was worse, Pete was still filled with doubt over his brush with the Dark Side.

That night, he held Patrick in his arms but stared into the dark. Kylo’s words kept repeating to him. Meet me on Tattooine. It was stupid, Pete knew it was stupid, and he was going to do it anyway. He extricated himself from Patrick and kissed his forehead. He scribbled a quick note about where he was going and why which was hard to do in the darkness. He then left the room dressed in a flight suit.

It was late at night, and there weren’t many people around. He thought fate would intervene, and he’d run into someone like Rey, or Gabe. But the coast was clear, and Pete located a ship. It was a battered A Wing, just back from repairs. Pete got in, and before he could think twice, he powered the ship on and he was off. He was pretty sure someone was alerting Leia right that minute, but he’d be gone before they could stop him.

“Forgive me,” he muttered, even though Patrick couldn’t hear him. He set in his course and hit lightspeed before he could turn back.


	10. Chapter Ten

Pete stepped off the ship, his senses tingling. He knew that Kylo was waiting for him, and that likely, he wouldn’t be leaving this planet alive. He couldn’t help but wonder why he’d chosen Tatooine. Perhaps because it was where Master Skywalker had grown up. He was grateful that they were in the Dune Sea, far away from any settlements or farmers. Pete didn’t want anyone else getting hurt because of him.

He walked over a ridge, and down a slope. Kylo waited patiently, something that surprised Pete. He wasn’t a man known for his patience. Pete stopped about six meters away, and said, “All this trouble for me? I didn’t know you cared.”

“You will return with me and face trial,” Kylo said, hand reaching out. Pete laughed.

“That doesn’t work on me,” said Pete.

“I can affect you in other ways,” Kylo replied.

Pete shook his head, then pulled out his lightsaber. “I’m not going with you. I only came here as a courtesy.”

“And to save your friends,” Kylo smirked at that. “They’re not your real friends, Kaos. They don’t know what you’ve done, what you’re still capable of doing.”

“Yes, they do.” Pete ignited his blade. It had been difficult crafting a new lightsaber. But it had been worth the effort to see the look in Kylo’s eyes when they were bathed in a purple glow.

Kylo lit his own blade, the crackling like thunder in the silence. “I will kill you, Kaos.”

“You can try. But I won’t let you hurt them,” Pete said.

Kylo attacked first, slashing through the air. Pete blocked him, then whirled around to bring his saber down on Kylo’s back. Kylo deflected, and kicked Pete in the stomach, throwing him back. Pete barely managed to retain his footing. He got his lightsaber up in time to stop Kylo from driving it down into his skull.

They clashed several times, but while Kylo did have more raw strength, Pete had more speed and skill. Kylo relied too much on that and his Force abilities when fighting, a weakness that Pete knew how to exploit.

“Do you think that if you kill me, the Resistance will accept you?” Kylo asked as he batted Pete’s lightsaber away. “They’ll never accept you, and once they’re finished with me, they’ll destroy you as well.”

“That’s bullshit!” Pete yelled. He blocked Kylo’s slash.

“Is it? Did you forget what the New Republic did once the Emperor and Darth Vader were defeated?” He asked, attacking again.

Pete shook his head. “Fought the remnants of the Empire. And kept fighting until they retreated.”

“And what do you think you will be, once I’m gone? Once the First Order is gone?” Then he did something that Pete didn’t expect. He turned off his lightsaber. “Kaos, you’re one of my Knights. I selected you personally. I knew you had potential, that even Snoke couldn’t see. Don’t throw it away for rebel scum who will destroy you as soon as they’re done using you.”

“They’re not using me!” Pete yelled, but he could feel the doubt creeping in.

“You’ve been gone for three months, and suddenly you’re my mother’s right-hand man? Doesn’t that seem a bit suspicious to you?” Kylo stepped closer, and Pete kept his lightsaber up. “How readily you were accepted? What would we do if someone came to the First Order, claiming they had turned against the Resistance?”

“Interrogate them for information. Execute them when they’d provided it,” he said quietly.

“That’s what they’re doing to you now. Once they know everything you know, then your usefulness will end. You’ll be nothing to them but one last enemy to be defeated,” Kylo stepped closer. Pete extinguished his lightsaber.

“They wouldn’t do that,” Pete insisted. “They’re good, they believe in redemption, even for you.”

“They’re fighting a war, the same as we are. They’ll use any tactics they can, just like Luke Skywalker,” said Kylo. He was close enough to Pete now he could touch him, but didn’t do so. Pete however, staggered back, shaking his head.

“You’re just trying to fuck me up, it isn’t true!”

It made sense, at least to that part of him. The one he didn’t speak about with anyone, not even Patrick. The little voice who whispered dark thoughts to him, late at night when he couldn’t sleep. The one that had been telling him for months that it had been too easy, and he needed to be punished. It had been festering, and though Pete had tried to ignore it, Kylo Ren was bringing it back full force.

It would be so easy to give in…

Then he remembered what Master Skywalker had said. What Patrick kept telling him. Easy wasn’t the way of the Jedi. He wouldn’t always know what the right thing was, that was a fact. But he knew this wasn’t it, and that everything Kylo Ren had told him was garbage. Patrick loved him. Brendon, Joe, and Vicky were the best friends he’d ever had. Finn, Poe, and Rey weren’t friends yet but he could rely on them, and he had affection for them. And General Organa… No, Leia. She told him to call her Leia. 

Pete threw himself backward, yelling, “ **No!** ” He then used to Force to throw Kylo Ren back. The Sith lord toppled over, but righted himself immediately, his red blade roaring to life. Fury contorted his features.

“I gave you the opportunity to save yourself, traitor!” He howled.

“You tried to lure me back to the Dark Side, I won’t go again! I’ll die first!” Pete shot back, igniting his own saber once again. They fought, Pete blocking more than attacking. Then suddenly found his lightsaber thrown out of his hand. 

“Die!” Kylo bellowed. He reached out through the Force, and Pete tried to shield himself. He found he was immobile, and the more he struggled, the more it hurt. Kylo stalked towards him, raising his lightsaber. He forced Pete to his knees, a wicked smile on his face. Pete let his head drop and knew this was it. 

“Let him go.”

Pete looked up and gave a strangled cry.

Patrick was standing there, blaster aimed at them, eyes cold and calculating. It wasn’t aimed at Pete, but at Kylo Ren.

“You must be joking,” Kylo said, his tone haughty.

“Not even a little. You have a choice, let him go or I shoot you.” Patrick’s voice didn’t even waver.

Kylo Ren sneered.

“I could rip that toy out of your hands and bludgeon you to death with it before you get a shot off,” he growled.

“…Good point,” said Patrick, and then pulled the trigger on the blaster.

Ren threw his hand out and stopped the bolt, but that didn’t stop Patrick. Between holding Pete down and Patrick shooting at him, Kylo Ren’s powers were at their limits. Patrick pressed the advantage, firing several times. By the time Kylo decided Patrick was a threat, he’d already been shot in the leg. He released his grip on Pete and used the Force to throw Patrick into a boulder.

Pete snarled, and charged at Kylo, retrieving his lightsaber and slashing at him with it. Kylo blocked the attack, but then Patrick was up again and shooting at him. There was no way for Kylo to press the attack on both Pete and Patrick. He tried to throw Patrick back again, but Pete used the Force to shield them both. 

They pressed their advantage, Patrick firing while Pete engaged Kylo with his lightsaber. Kylo was getting desperate, which Pete could see. He growled, “This is the path you’ve chosen?” 

“Yes,” he said. 

Kylo’s hand went out, and Pete froze when he saw it. Force lightning, crackling along his fingers. Pete threw up his lightsaber, while he didn’t have a hope of deflecting it, he had to try. However, his heart stopped when he heard someone scream. He found himself being shoved out of the way. 

He couldn’t quite comprehend it, but when he did, he screamed with rage. Kylo was retreating, and Pete wanted to go after him. Pete was seeing red, and he wanted to make Kylo Ren bleed. He heard a soft voice call, “Pete.” And he stopped. Pete dropped his lightsaber and knelt next to Patrick. 

“Patrick? Can you hear me?” 

“That hurt,” he whined, and Pete laughed through his tears. 

“Yeah, it does. Fuck he couldn’t do that last time I saw him, his power’s growing.” He wrapped his arms around Patrick. He could sense how much pain he was in. What was worse, he could feel through the Force that Patrick’s injuries were critical.

Blood seeped from the corner of his mouth, and he said, “Don’t… Don’t let them bury me, okay? I don’t want that. Burn me, throw me out the airlock, I don’t care. But don’t bury me.” 

Pete shook his head. “No, you’re not dying today.” 

“Can’t seem to help it,” Patrick mumbled. “Pete… I can’t see.” He sobbed and whispered, “I can’t see.” 

“I can get you back to the ship. How the fuck did you get on board without me noticing?” 

“I didn’t, took my own ship.” He was shaking, and Pete became more determined. 

He stood, with Patrick in his arms, and began to walk. With every step, he told himself that Patrick would not die. And with every step, he believed it. When he reached the top of the ridge, he wasn’t even surprised to see Master Skywalker. Patrick had lost consciousness, which Pete was grateful for. 

“I won’t let him die,” he said, and Master Skywalker nodded. Pete found Patrick’s ship and took him inside. Aythree hooted at them, and he said, “I know okay?! I know! Get the sickbay ready!’ The little droid zoomed forward, and Pete ran after

The lights were on, and he got Patrick settled on the bed, saying, “Did you ever use the Jedi healing techniques?” 

“Yes,” Master Skywalker said. 

“With how much success?” 

“Moderate, at best.” 

Pete looked Patrick over, and under the lights of the sickbay, could see how terrible the damage was. He had burns along his torso and across the left side of his face. Parts of his clothing had melted into his skin. Pete held his hands over Patrick’s body, and through the Force, felt his internal organs. He was bleeding, he was dying. Pete knew he could stop it, he had to believe in himself.

He’d never had such a tall order in his life.

He took a deep breath and opened himself to the Force. He whispered, “I love you,” to Patrick, and got to work. He spent hours repairing each organ, knitting together broken bones, healing burned skin. Pete could feel Master Skywalker the whole time. Occasionally saying encouraging things to Pete. He wasn’t afraid of failure, because he knew in his heart this would work. And when the last of the wounds were healed, Pete stepped back.

Patrick slowly opened his eyes, and groaned, saying, “It’s too bright.” He then seemed to realize what he said, and sat up straight, looking around in surprise. 

“Hey, take it easy,” said Pete, easing Patrick down again. 

“How the… Pete what the fuck?!” 

“Seriously dude stop. I’m super wiped out right now and if you fucking hurt yourself I can’t heal you again for like… At least a week.” 

Patrick ran a hand through his hair, and then looked at Pete with shock. “You did this?” 

“Yeah.” 

He didn’t give any warning. He grabbed Pete by the lapels and pulled him into a passionate kiss. Pete was startled but kissed back fervently. He pulled away, gasping, and asked, “I did well?” 

“Yeah, you fucking did!” Patrick said, laughing. “Holy shit, I thought I was dead for sure!”

“So did I.” He kissed Patrick again, and then mumbled, “I really want a nap though.” 

“Oh shit, yeah you must be exhausted.” Patrick got up and put his arm around Pete. He led him to his cabin, saying, “Get some rest. I’m gonna sweep the ship for trackers then set a course for home.” 

Pete smiled at that, and let his eyes fall closed. “Home,” he whispered, and then he was asleep again.

* * *

Pete was expecting a court-martial, or to be locked up when they got back to the Resistance base. Instead, he was welcomed by Leia. 

“Patrick gave me the note,” she said. “And Gabe told me about what happened on Coruscant.”

“That note was private,” Pete said, glaring at Patrick.

“I think ‘I’m going to face Kylo Ren alone because it’s the right thing to do’ is pretty significant information,” Patrick replied. He pinched Pete’s arm. “You’re stupid and should have never gone.”

“You’re the one who got shot up with Force lightning!” He shot back, and Leia gasped.

“What happened?” Her voice was calm, but Pete could sense the undercurrent. She was worried, and maybe a little bit angry.

So Pete told her everything that happened. Including that he had used Force healing techniques on Patrick. He didn’t leave anything out. He even included how he’d been struggling with worries that he’d go back to the Dark Side eventually. Which made Patrick gasp, and then grab Pete’s hand to comfort him. When he was done talking, Leia reached forward and patted Pete’s hand as well.

“I understand why you were worried,” she said. “But you don’t have to go this alone. You have friends and loved ones here who want to help you. And you can ask me as well.” 

“Yeah, I don’t know why I didn’t realize that sooner,” Pete admitted.

“Because you’re an idiot,” Patrick muttered

“Fuck you!”

“Boys,” Leia said sharply, and they both had the good grace to look embarrassed.

“Sorry ma’am,” they said in unison, and she smiled again.

“You’ll have to go through a full debriefing, but as far as I’m concerned… Welcome back. You’re both on leave until further notice, take the time to rest up. You’re dismissed.”

“Thank you, ma’am!” Pete said, and they got up and left. 

It was still early in the day, and though Pete had only been gone for 12 hours, it felt like forever. They passed Vicky and Joe joking around with Poe. Brendon and Rose with their heads bent over something, talking excitedly. Finn, Gabe, and Rey doing drills. Everyone waved to them, but they all kept their distance.

“Am I like, an outcast now?” Pete asked, and Patrick snorted. 

“No. Gabe told them what happened, they’re likely giving you some breathing room. You’ve been through a lot.” 

“You’ve been through more.” 

Pete pulled Patrick into an alcove, and said, “I want to say, I’m sorry for putting you through this. And thank you for coming to get me.”

“Thank you for saving my life,” Patrick replied. “I’d be dead right now if it weren’t for you.”

“But you also wouldn’t have ended up in that situation if it weren’t for me.” 

Patrick sighed and hugged Pete. He whispered to him, “I don’t care. I wanted to help you, and I did. I know you’d do the same for me. So don’t go blaming yourself, it was my choice to go after you.” 

“I love you,” Pete replied, and Patrick smiled and pulled him into a kiss.

There was something different about this one, however. It felt more charged, like the electricity that had hurt Patrick was still in him. The kiss intensified until they were clutching at each other and gasping. Patrick broke away with a gasp, and Pete nibbled at his lower lip.

“We need to get back to our room,” Patrick said, and pulled Pete down the hall. 

They stumbled into the room, kissing each other hard. Patrick closed and locked the door, then kissed Pete again. He moaned and shoved Patrick against the wall. He bit his neck, saying, “Love you, love you so much.” 

“Love you too,” Patrick replied, tugging Pete’s hair. 

“Need to see you,” he said. Pete ripped open Patrick’s flight suit, exposing a gray undershirt. “Are you ever not wearing a million layers?”

“Fuck you!” He snapped, and Pete grinned at him. 

“That’s the idea.” He pushed the top of the flight suit off, then reached for the hem of Patrick’s shirt. When he pulled it off, and Patrick was naked from the waist up, Pete stopped to stare at him. He’d never seen Patrick naked before, and his skin was creamy and pale. He kissed down his chest and bit the soft curve of his belly, making Patrick gasp. 

“What are you doing?” Patrick asked. 

Pete slid a hand up Patrick’s thigh as he knelt, saying, “Gonna make you feel good.” 

He could see the next question on Patrick’s lips, and Pete cupped his balls, giving them a light rub. Patrick shivered and bit his lip. He was blushing, and Pete didn’t know how someone could be adorable and so sexy at the same time. He reached up and pulled the flight suit down further. Unsurprised to see Patrick was wearing shorts underneath. 

“Don’t say a word,” Patrick growled, and Pete grinned up at him. 

He pulled the band of the shorts down as well until he exposed Patrick’s cock. Pete made a show of licking his lips, and it made Patrick moan. He ran his tongue on the underside of the shaft, just to get a taste for it. 

Pete then enveloped Patrick’s dick with his mouth. Patrick’s hand fisted in his hair, and Pete groaned. He always did like a little pain. He was already so hard, he was surprised he wasn’t dizzy.

Pete sucked softly at first, wanting to draw things out. It felt like they’d been waiting for this forever, and Pete didn’t want things to end too fast. Patrick seemed to feel the same way. He was holding very still and doing his best not to fuck Pete’s mouth like he wanted to. Pete braced his hands on Patrick’s thighs and sucked harder.

“Oh fuck,” Patrick wailed.

He moved his mouth faster, loving the feel, scent, and taste of Patrick. Pete wanted to memorize every second. But he could feel Patrick tensing, and he pulled off with a gasp. Patrick whined but didn’t protest. They stared at each other, as though each was waiting for the other to move.

Patrick grabbed Pete by the collar and hauled him to his feet, kissing him again. “Clothes. Off. Now,” he hissed, and Pete scrambled to undress. 

When he was naked, he turned to see Patrick had removed the rest of his clothes and was standing awkwardly by the bed. 

“Do we have any lube?” Pete asked, and Patrick nodded. He picked up his flight suit and pulled a purple tube of lube out of one of the pockets. Pete cackled and asked, “Were you expecting to get laid when you came to my rescue?”

“I’ve been carrying it every day since we got here,” he admitted. He was bushing so hard the tips of his ears were turning pink. 

Pete stepped closer and gave Patrick a kiss on the cheek “I’m glad you did.” 

Patrick smiled shyly, and they kissed. It escalated to making out in the blink of an eye, and they fell back on the bed together. Pete ended up on his back, with Patrick on top of him. Patrick was running his hands all over Pete’s body, exploring him. Pete was more than happy to let him but jumped when Patrick grabbed his dick.

“Sorry,” Patrick said and Pete laughed.

“Don’t be. No one’s touched my dick in years,” he replied and Patrick giggled. Pete grinned at that. 

Patrick shrugged and said, “So, I don’t like giving blowjobs.”

Pete could admit he was a little disappointed at that, but he shrugged. “Okay.”

“But I do like doing this.” And Patrick began stroking Pete. He knew exactly what he was doing, and Pete shuddered. Patrick’s fingers were slim and slightly calloused. They added a sensation that was altogether new to Pete. His hips bucked up to meet Patrick’s hand, and he moaned. 

“Oh fuck, Patrick you gotta stop,” he said. He was so close to coming already, how the hell had that happened? 

He stopped, and he said, “I’m sorry.” 

“Don’t be,” Pete replied. He could see the shyness returning, and Patrick’s frown. Pete cupped his face and said, “You’re fine, Patrick. I didn’t wanna come before I was inside of you.” 

“Yes,” Patrick whispered and opened the cap on the lube. He got his fingers nice and slick, and asked, “You wanna watch me?” 

“Oh fuck yeah,” Pete replied. 

Patrick smiled and scooted over. He was lying on the bed with his legs open, and Pete wanted to lick every inch of him. Instead, he watched as Patrick gingerly opened himself. He winced when he slipped the first finger inside, and Pete could see the discomfort. 

“Can I help?” Pete asked. 

“Touch yourself,” said Patrick. 

Pete grabbed the lube and squirted some onto his hand. He stroked himself, watching in fascination as Patrick worked himself open. His face was screwed up with concentration, a look Pete had seen often when Patrick was working. But then he jolted, and a gasp escaped from him. 

“Good?” 

Patrick nodded. “Yeah, been a while. So good.” 

He smiled at that, still jerking himself lightly. The room was quiet, with the exception of heavy pants and the occasional sigh. They watched each other, and Pete was finding it difficult to keep from coming. 

Finally, Patrick said, “I’m ready.” 

Pete crawled over to him and used a little extra lube. For all their preparation, he didn’t want to hurt Patrick. He lifted Patrick’s hips, and he kissed Pete. “I love you,” Pete said, and then sank inside of Patrick.

He couldn’t move. He thought his brain was overloaded by pleasure. It wasn’t only that Patrick was tight, and he was. It was also that Patrick loved him, and Pete felt the same way. Pete had had sex, but making love? That was new. Patrick was shaking beneath him, and Pete asked, “You okay?”

“Yeah, just, move already!” Patrick snapped, and Pete grinned. 

“You’re so cute when you’re angry,” he said and Patrick glared at him. 

He snapped his hips forward, and Patrick grunted. He wrapped his legs around Pete’s legs, pushing himself upwards to meet Pete’s thrusts. Pete in turn, sucked on Patrick’s neck, moaning his pleasure into Patrick’s skin. 

They worked out a rhythm of shallow but powerful thrusts. Pete, however, didn’t feel he was getting deep enough, so he stopped long enough to move Patrick around. Once Patrick was in his lap, Pete thrust harder, and Patrick threw his head back and cried out. 

He felt Patrick spasm, and he bit his earlobe. “Feel good?” 

“Yes! Oh please don’t stop,” Patrick begged. 

Pete groaned and moved faster. They were both close, Pete could feel it. Patrick’s arms were wrapped around Pete’s neck, and Pete, in turn, had his arms around Patrick’s torso. He held him close, looking into Patrick’s eyes. There was a sheen of sweat on his brow, but those depths of green and blue were staring right back. 

“Come with me,” Pete said, and Patrick nodded. 

It took three more thrusts, and then Patrick was coming hard, arching back as he did. Pete gasped as Patrick spasmed, and he came inside of him. That moment felt as though it were frozen in time, and Pete wished it could stretch on forever. But inevitably, they collapsed onto the bed. Sweat soaked, come stained, and satiated.

Pete pulled out with a wince and curled up with Patrick. They held each other, breathing hard and staring. Patrick was the first to speak.

“I don’t have the words for how good that was,” he said, and Pete smiled. 

“Me neither.” 

Patrick pushed some of Pete’s damp hair out of his face. “I love you,” he said.

“I love you too.” 

“We should…” Patrick trailed off and yawned. “We should clean up.” 

“Mmm, in a minute.” He nuzzled Patrick, content to enjoy the afterglow. 

Patrick didn’t say anything more, and neither did Pete. For tonight, there was no First Order, no Kylo Ren, no Resistance trying to save the galaxy from oppression. He wasn’t Pete Wentz, former Sith who was working hard to redeem himself. And he wasn’t Patrick Stump the mechanical genius upon whom the hopes of many rested. 

They were just Pete and Patrick, two men in love.

**Author's Note:**

> [Tumblr](http://talkingcinemalight.tumblr.com)


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